1. May I suggest "Project Laboratory" or "America's Next Top Oncologist"?
Regards,
Richard Day Gore

Posted at 11:44AM on May 25th 2007 by richard day gore

2. URGENT - ONLINE INTERACTIVE OPPORTUNITY TO SUPPORT FEDERAL CANCER RESEARCH FUNDING -- 1 PM TODAY, 5/29

The Gotham Prize for Cancer Research is a great new way to support research. But why not also demand that our Federal Government put its muscle behind cancer research? Thanks to the negligence of the administration and past congress, cancer research by the NCI is starved for funds. FINALLY, the Washington Post -- the capitol's trade paper -- ran a story -- an excellent story -- on the funding problem at NIH (and its sub-agency, the National Cancer Institute). You can read it at this link:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052700794.html

The author, Christopher Lee, will be holding an online interactive discussion at 1 PM today at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2007/05/26/DI2007052600427.html . Questions can be sent in now or during the program.

If enough of us participate, the author could demonstrate to the editors that there is keen interest in this issue. That could motivate the Washington Post to devote more space to it, thereby educating our political leaders and their staffs. Many appear to be grossly ignorant and indifferent, having little awareness that in just three days deaths from cancer in the US eclipse the number of deaths in Iraq or from the 9/11 events. Too many leaders, including the President, are unaware that cancer is a form of terrorism that is highly likely to directly affect the great majority of American families. They do not seem to realize that just $1 billion more, raising funding from just under $5 billion for the NCI to about $6 billion, would restore momentum, and that even a lesser increase would help.

Even if you cannot participate today, please email a link to the article and your comments to your senators, representative, and to the President.

Jim Waldenfels

Posted at 11:01AM on May 29th 2007 by Jim Waldenfels

3. This is a perfect example of thirty-five years of the trail-and-error mind-set (empiricism) that has occupied cancer research. The cancer "investigator" culture that prizes itself on the exhaustive examination of trivial hypotheses, while eschewing support of cancer "discoverer" type research, attempting to create entirely new paradigms of cancer treatment.

The mindset of rewarding academic achievement and publication over all else. We would all like to think that organizations, government agencies, scientists, researchers, and even practitioners work together, sharing information for the benefit of patients.

However, each group has its own priorities and its own agenda. Moreover, as the WP article states, "funding decisions are ultraconservative...the kind of work that we would most like to see take place, which is groundbreaking and innovative, lies at the other extreme." The present system exists to serve academic achievement and publication, but not to serve the best interests of people.

Posted at 1:13PM on May 29th 2007 by Gregory D. Pawelski