que to cancer suggests the possibility of preventive vaccines," said Laurence Miller, M.D., director of research and deputy director of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. "This approach could avoid many of the problems associated with trying to treat an established tumor." Miller noted that the recent success of the human papilloma virus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer supports this concept.

"Clearly, our arsenal of therapeutics and knowledge of cancer has significantly advanced since the 'war on cancer' was declared a generation ago, but there are still entirely too many who will succumb to the disease," said George Poste, director of the Biodesign Institute. "Now, with powerful new tools in understanding the genetic circuitry of cancer, ASU and Mayo Clinic are developing a broad portfolio of risk-taking and highly creative approaches with a goal of alleviating the suffering caused by cancer."

This project is the first initiative undertaken under an umbrella partnership called the Mayo Clinic/ASU Center for Cancer-related Convergence, Cooperation and Collaboration (MAC5).

Mayo Clinic and ASU have invested seed funds to launch this project and obtain the initial supportive data. Space has been allocated in a new research facility on the Scottsdale campus of Mayo Clinic, and additional faculty and clinicians are being hired to support this phase of the project.

"The effort may be too high-risk and technology-focused to be supported by traditional government funding sources, so we hope that private sources will join the effort to ensure the potential is fully explored," said Johnston. "We anticipate that within three years we will know if this is a viable approach. Being able to bring the expertise of ASU and Mayo Clinic together on such an exciting and potentially beneficial effort significantly enhances our potential for success," he said.

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Contact: Joe Caspermeyer
joseph.caspermeyer@asu.edu
480-313-2010
Arizona State University
14-Feb-2007

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