To capture the power of new discoveries and technologies emerging from recent advances in molecular and cellular biology, it is necessary to bridge the gap between the various fields of basic biomedical, epidemiological and clinical cancer research. No single cancer institution in the world has the critical mass to deliver in all cancer areas. Institutions should collaborate to create a world-class integrated infrastructure with the goal of advancing cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

As CEO of the Oslo Cancer Cluster, Bjarte Reve strongly supports the need for global collaboration. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding with The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Reve said, “We passionately believe that this partnership with The Hamner Institutes will enable companies and comprehensive cancer centers to speed development of new cancer therapies through global partnerships. Over the last few years, we have already taken great strides in Europe to bring together such clusters, with concrete results, such as a Phase 1 network and joint EU-IMI submissions. This partnership with The Hamner is a logical next step to forge stronger links with the United States and also to complement our existing initiatives in China.”

What The Hamner Institutes And Oslo Share In Common
What The Hamner and Research Triangle Park share in common with Oslo is a rich fabric of cutting-edge biomedical research located in an area with a high concentration of life sciences organizations and industry. Like the Whitehead Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, The Hamner is an independent 501(c)(3) biomedical research institution, and its strategic location on a 56-acre campus within Research Triangle Park provides ready access to world class universities - Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University - and their associated medical campuses and one of the USA’s leading schools of veterinary medicine.

As a global leader in environmental health sciences and now with a broadened platform in biomedicine, The Hamner has trained hundreds of postdoctoral fellows and published thousands of papers in scientific journals. It acts as a catalyst to facilitate life sciences technology development among North Carolina universities, while serving as a gateway to establish research collaborations with leading universities, the bio/pharmaceutical industry and government agencies in Asia and Europe.

The Hamner’s recently announced European cancer network with Norway’s Oslo Cancer Cluster joins a number of established connections, including the Hamner-China Biosciences Center, to create a multi-pronged Global Biosciences Gateway that provides a platform to address critical world-wide needs in biomedicine and therapeutic development.

The Global Biosciences Gateway
The Hamner Institutes established a Global Biosciences Gateway on its campus to enable biopharmaceutical companies and comprehensive cancer centers to accelerate development of new cancer therapies. The collaboration will create an infrastructure in both North Carolina and Oslo to advance cancer therapeutics discovery and drug development. The Hamner network along with its partners in Europe and Asia provide access to drug safety and regulatory experts that can address regulatory requirements from the FDA, the EMEA and eventually the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration.

Specific initiatives of The Hamner-Oslo collaboration will focus on translational research, business development, and training and education. The Hamner will provide access to its network of research collaborators, including three Comprehensive Cancer Centers located in North Carolina within 70 miles of each other and The Hamner. North Carolina is one of only 2 states in the United States with three Comprehensive Cancer Centers funded by the US National Cancer Institute.

Because the Oslo Cancer Cluster is a world leader in cancer research and technology development, The Hamner’s partnership with Oslo is a key link in a shared Global Biosciences Gateway and strategy to accelerate the development of new cancer therapeutics worldwide. The ability we now have to identify and capture cutting-edge cancer research in the USA, Europe and China will not only benefit patients, but will also be an important driver for business and economic development in our respective countries.

I am confident that through global collaborative partnerships we will be successful in advancing more effective and safer therapies for cancer that will benefit the world’s citizens.  It is a great privilege to be a partner with the Oslo Cancer Cluster in this effort.

Photos:

- Hamner Institutes

- Linda Cartridge

- Schwarz Communication