'The Sixth Vital Sign' runs Jan. 22-24 at the Arizona Grand
Resort
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Jan. 8, 2009 - Physician-scientists from the
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale
Healthcare will present their latest findings and techniques at a
national conference designed to provide cancer doctors with new
treatments for their patients.
"Molecular Oncology: The Sixth Vital Sign, What Every Oncologist
Should Know" is intended to help cancer doctors provide better
diagnosis, early detection as well as drugs and other treatments
that in some cases can slow the growth or even shrink tumors.
"Given the explosion of new information on the genetic and cellular
features of malignancy, the modern oncologist must master the
significance and application of cancer-related sciences," said Dr.
Ramesh K. Ramanathan, Medical Director of TGen Clinical Research
Services at Scottsdale Healthcare, a partnership between TGen and
Scottsdale Healthcare Corp.
Beyond the five vital signs of pulse, respiration, temperature,
blood pressure and pain, is a new sixth vital sign - molecular
therapeutics. This is the ability to identify the causes of disease
at the molecular level in order to provide the right drugs in the
right amounts at the right times for the specific needs of
individual patients; what is becoming better known in health
circles as personalized medicine.
"This gap in knowledge and its application in clinical practice
will be addressed in this conference," said Dr. Ramanathan, a
Senior Investigator at TGen.
Dr. Ramanathan is the co-program director of the conference, along
with Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen's Physician-In-Chief and the Chief
Scientific Officer at TCRS. Both doctors conduct groundbreaking
personalized-medicine research and clinical drug trials at TCRS in
Scottsdale, and both are on the clinical faculty of the University
of Arizona College of Medicine. Both will present at the
conference.
Other TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare scientists scheduled to
present include: Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen's President and Scientific
Director; Dr. Raoul Tibes, Director of the Hematological
Malignancies Program at TCRS and an Associate Investigator at TGen;
Dr. Glen J. Weiss, Director of Thoracic Oncology and Assistant
Clinical Investigator at TCRS, and Associate Investigator at TGen;
Dr. Stephen P. Anthony, Chief Medical Officer of TGen Drug
Development Services (TD2) and a Senior Investigator at TGen; Dr.
John Carpten, Director of TGen's Integrated Cancer Genomics
Division and a Senior Investigator at TGen; and Gayle Jameson,
M.S.N., Director of Supportive Care at TCRS and an Associate
Investigator at TGen.
Besides oncologists, the target audience includes all physicians
and health professionals involved in caring for cancer patients,
and researchers interested in new cancer diagnostics and
therapeutics.
Key objectives of the conference include:
-- Explaining the molecular and cellular features of malignancy in
diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancer,
and identifying new diagnostic tools.
-- Assessing the effects and early clinical results of new,
targeted drug therapies on solid tumors and malignant blood
cancers.
-- Identifying new drug therapies that optimize treatment results
and minimize side effects in specific biologic and clinical
scenarios.
-- Evaluating clinical trials and translational methods of care and
their proper use in clinical decision-making and patient
management.
The conference is sponsored by TGen, Scottsdale Healthcare's
Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center and Physicians' Education Resource
(PER) of Dallas. The conference is certified for Continuing Medical
Education.
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a
non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking
research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on
helping patients with diseases such as cancer, neurological
disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. For more
information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
About Scottsdale Healthcare
Scottsdale Healthcare is a primary clinical research site for TGen.
TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare is
housed in the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale
Healthcare, located on the Scottsdale Healthcare Shea medical
campus. Scottsdale Healthcare is the not-for-profit parent
organization of the Scottsdale Healthcare Shea, Scottsdale
Healthcare Osborn and Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak
hospitals, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center, Scottsdale Clinical
Research Institute, TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale
Healthcare, Scottsdale Healthcare Home Health Services, Scottsdale
Healthcare Community Health Services, and Scottsdale Healthcare
Foundation. For additional information, visit www.shc.org.
Contact:
Alice Sluga
Public Relations Coordinator
Scottsdale Healthcare
480-882-4915
[email protected]