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CHS - National Cancer Control Center Development
programs awaiting funding 50k level Sabbatical programs Program to enable one full
time sabbatical of a foreign Assistant- or Associate-Professor level scientist
in the CHS National Cancer Control Center (CHSNCCC) in Israel. This program will help the CHSNCCC to
advance technology transfer in ever advancing field of cancer research
sciences. Two sabbaticals a year
are sought for a five-year period.
Each sabbatical will cost about 50k. (C) / (T)* Israel – Belarus
breast cancer and Chernobyl collaboration Israel and Belarus share a
large population who has been exposed to the radiation effects of the Chernobyl
study. In order to start
evaluating the role of radiation in the causation of breast cancer in both countries, a CHSNCCC-coordinated
Israeli team will travel to the most exposed Gomel area in Belarus and spend
one week training local medical teams in modern diagnosis and treatment methods
for breast cancer. A Belarussian
medical team will then arrive in Israel for further training. The Israeli team
of 8 people will be multidisciplinary including a radiologist, cytologist,
pathologist, surgeon, radiation oncologist, medical oncologist and public
health experts. This program is
already partially supported by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the WHO
office of Radiation and Health and links with the WHO-International Agency for
Research on Cancer initiative. (C) Pancreatic cancer
feasibility study adjoining the
NCI-EDRN initiative The US National Cancer
Institute – Early Detection Research Network was established to develop new
approaches towards the detection of cancer possibly leading to newer treatment
approaches. The CHSNCCC in Israel is a collaborator in this Network on
colorectal cancer research. The
Network is interested in developing new thinking in the field of pancreatic
cancer. For the Israeli team to
possibly assume responsibility in this field, seed money is needed to evaluate
the feasibility of coordinating the work from Israel. If successful, it is estimated that the NCI will allocate
further funding to continue the work. (C) 200k level Cancer genetics
research in Jewish populations:
Sequencer The Jewish population
expresses unique genetic patterns which allow investigation into the genetic
origins of cancer. Several
cancer-causing genes have already been identified and many more are sought
after. The CHSNCCC is a leading
Israeli facility involved in research of the clinical implications of genes in
the causation of cancer. The Sequencer is an analytic device which enables the
analysis of genetic sequences in DNA and is a tool of major importance for the
Israeli genetic research team. (C) Cancer Genetics
research in Jewish populations: Micro-array systems The Jewish population
expresses unique genetic patterns, which allow investigation into the genetic
origins of cancer. Several
cancer-causing genes have already been identified and many more are sought for.
The CHSNCCC is a leading Israeli facility involved in research of the clinical
implications of genes in the causation of cancer. Micro-array systems are
modern devices enabling the search for multiple genes on the same DNA through
pre-designed probes. The high
through-put of the system and the flexibility of designing probes to fit
specific needs help expedite gene search and gene testing. (C) Breast cancer gene-environment pilot
etiology study The CHSNCCC has just finished
the feasibility phase of a large population-based study of the etiology of
breast cancer and the interaction of genes and environmental exposures in
causing breast cancer. Such studies have high prospects of being fruitful if
carried out in a Jewish population due to the high rates of breast cancer in
this population and the high proportion of identified genetic involvement. The full study will call for a 5
million dollar investment. Such investment will be sought from the National
Cancer Institute. However, in order to be able to apply for such support, pilot
results need to be shown, the funding for which is requested in this paragraph.
(C) / (T) 400k level Artificial
intelligence in cervical cancer screening Cervical cancer screening by
periodic pap-smear testing has become a common means of early detection of
cancer. Yet, this technology
suffers from a variety of faults in its performance. Artificial intelligence
methods have been develop to improve the validity of the pap smear
results. CHSNCCC overseeing all
CHS activity in this field is planning to purchase one of these devices, Pap-Net
or similar, in order to operate such a quality improvement program in
Israel. (C) 10,000k level Building for the
CHSNCCC The CHSNCCC is currently
located in old premises adjacent to the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa,
Israel. It currently occupies a
space of some 8000 square feet which contains laboratories, offices and clinic
space for more than 70 employees.
A facility of about 20,000 – 30,000 square feet is needed for the
current and future development of the Center. Such area will be sought in either existing buildings which
will be evacuated and refurbished, or in a new site. A complete plan will be
made available. (C) Prostate cancer
screening study It is as yet unclear to what
degree screening tests for prostate cancer are effective in reducing mortality
from this very common disease. A study was designed to test various modern
detection modes in a large population of close to 100,000 people in three
countries, Israel, Greece and Belarus. Areas in these countries have been
chosen based on their exposure to current prostate screening activities. This
will be one of the single definitive studies in this field in the world. (C) *Funding possible through
Technion (T) or CHS (C) according to markings at end of
paragraphs. Contact information: Gad Rennert, M.D., Ph.D. Chairman
and Director CHS
National Cancer Control Center &
Dept. of Community Medicine and Epidemiology at
Carmel Medical Center and Technion Faculty of Medicine 7
Michal St. Haifa
34362 Israel Tel:
972 – 4 – 825 0474 Fax:
972 – 4 – 834 4358 e-mail:
rennert@tx.technion.ac.il |