But with the recently announced historic completion of the Human Genome Project, and other advances in molecular biology and proteomics, medical science is about to take its largest leap, probably since the discovery of antibiotics.

The results for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer are expected to be profound. "We are now in a position to rapidly and continuously accelerate the engine of discovery, so we can eliminate suffering and death from cancer by 2015," said Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, Director of the National Cancer Institute. "We may not yet be in a position to eliminate cancer entirely," he continued, "but eliminating the burden of the disease by preemption of the process of cancer initiation and progression is a goal within our grasp."

To describe how the genetics revolution -- and other scientific and policy-related issues are presenting new opportunities to accelerate the conquest of cancer, Dr. Eschenbach will chair a panel of experts, to be held 2:15-4:45 p.m., Friday, July 11, during the opening plenary session of the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in Washington, D.C.

In addition to Dr. von Eschenbach, other scientists participating in the session include: Drs. Michael R. Stratton, professor of cancer genetics at The Institute of Cancer Research in London and head of the British Cancer Genome Project; Joan S. Brugge, professor of cell biology with the Harvard Medical School; Joan Massague, chairman of the Cell Biology Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and A. Thomas Look, M.D., Harvard Medical School professor of pediatrics at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The panel is expected
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11-Jul-2003