RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Prominent scientists from Norway have joined colleagues from research institutions in North Carolina and several other medical centers in the United States for a two-day symposium here to discuss possible collaborations in the global battle against breast cancer.
The symposium, "Advancing Translational Cancer Research and Innovation," is being held at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, one of several symposium sponsors. More than 75 scientific leaders from both nations have come together to explore current and future trans-Atlantic collaborations in breast cancer research.
Representatives of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Innovation Norway, the Norwegian Research Council and several Norwegian research hospitals and institutions helped coordinate the event with counterparts from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Biotechnology Center and other Research Triangle area organizations.
"We have a history of collaboration with Norwegian scientists," said Dr. Russ Lea, vice president for research and sponsored programs at UNC-Chapel Hill. "In North Carolina we have a huge commitment to research and development, spending $1.4 billion a year -- two-thirds of it on medical research. And Norway has a vast resource of population data and statistical models that are proving extremely valuable in our collaborations, especially for cancer researchers."
Dr Kenneth Tindall, senior vice president of science and business development at the Biotechnology Center and one of the symposium hosts, said, "This event is a recognition of the concentration of expertise we have at North Carolina's public and private universities. This state's history in biotechnology achievement, applying innovative ideas to commercializing products, is clearly critical in dealing with cancer."
Keynote speakers today include Dr. Anthony Atala, Wake Forest University research physician; Dr. Anne-Lise Borresson-Dale of Rikshospitalet-Radium hospitalet of Oslo, Norway; and Dr. Peter Agre, Nobel laureate and vice chancellor for science & technology at Duke University.
Friday morning's keynote speaker will be Dr. Charles Perou, assistant professor of genetics and pathology at the UNC School of Medicine.
Other North Carolina presenters today and Friday include: Dudley Lacy, of the O'Brien/Atkins Associates architectural firm; Ted Abernathy, executive vice president of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership; and Drs. Shelton Earp, director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center; Lisa Carey, medical director of the UNC Breast Center; Carolyn Sartor, co-director of the UNC Breast Center; Frank Torti, director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University; John Olson, of the Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy; Wenle Xia, of Duke University; Jim Petitte, poultry science professor from North Carolina State University; William Greenlee, of the Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences; and Claude Hughes, chief medical officer of RTI International.
Presenters from elsewhere in the U.S. include: Drs. Anne McTiernan, of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle; Rachel Ballard-Barbash, of the National Cancer Institute; Manuel Penichet, of UCLA; William Matsui, of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; Robert Elliott, of Baton Rouge Hospital and Massimo Cristofanilli, of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
In addition, 24 presenters are addressing the symposium from a wide range of Norwegian research hospitals and other institutions.
The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology research, business and education statewide.
North Carolina Biotechnology CenterCONTACT: Barry Teater, director of corporate communications, NorthCarolina Biotechnology Center, +1-919-541-9366
Web site: http://www.ncbiotech.org/
