Mount Sinai and Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation to Collaborate Against the Rising Incidence of Cancer Due to Aging
The Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI) at Mount Sinai and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) are launching a unique research program that will fund collaborations between TCI physician-scientists and colleagues from other established cancer research institutions to address the rising rates of cancer due to aging around the world.
The partnership will enhance the impact of both TCI and SWCRF through cross-institutional, cutting-edge research on abnormal gene function that causes cancer in order to uncover the link between aging and cancer and identify targeted therapies.
Both organizations will contribute equally to this pivotal, two-year, $1 million research program. And work together to prioritize, evaluate, and award research grants submitted for review by both TCI-affiliated and non-TCI-affiliated scientists throughout the two-year term of this collaboration, which starts this year.
“Science works better with collaboration,” says Samuel Waxman, MD, CEO and Founder of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation and Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), and Oncological Sciences, at The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. “This model will provide an excellent opportunity to cast a wider net and connect investigators and labs who may not typically work together with the dual aim: investigate why aging in particular makes the body more susceptible to cancer and develop new, effective, and less toxic treatments for age-related cancers.”
The partnership with TCI and SWCRF comes at a pivotal time as aging increasingly becomes a leading risk factor for cancer. Older adults are a rapidly growing segment of the U.S. and global population, and it has been well documented that the incidence of cancer has continued to rise in people over 65. It is evident that a deeper understanding of the biological changes connected to aging in relation to the biology of cancer are required to understand and address the onset and trajectory of cancer.
“Our partnership with SWCRF will showcase our shared strengths in aging and cancer research,” says Ramon E. Parsons, MD, PhD, Director of TCI, Ward-Coleman Chair in Cancer Research, and Chair of Oncological Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai. “We are proud that this concerted effort will help us deliver on our joint mission of providing the best in care and treatment for anyone diagnosed with cancer.”
Dr. Parsons added, “Our goal is to continue to build upon the great foundation of cancer research that has already been established by TCI at Mount Sinai and SWCRF. Cancer is complicated, and our collaboration will allow us to pick the right projects and bring together the best people to focus on this devastating disease.”
TCI has earned an indelible reputation as a leading cancer center thanks to its integrated, collaborative approach to cancer care, which has attracted renowned physicians and scientists whose expertise continues to elevate the work of the Institute. TCI has earned Designated Cancer Center status from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—a program recognizing centers around the country that meet the rigorous standards for state-of-the-art cancer research—for a second consecutive five-year cycle. In 2019 alone, TCI engaged in 50 collaborations with other NCI-designed cancer centers. It also encompasses more than 80 renowned physicians and scientists whose expertise continues to propel the Institute’s work resulting in innovative new clinical trials that have led to new and innovative cancer treatments.
SWCRF was founded in 1976 by Samuel Waxman, MD, who serves as the Distinguished Service Professor for Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology), and Oncological Sciences, at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. For more than 45 years, SWCRF has been focused on eradicating cancer through funding ongoing collaborative, cross-institutional research around abnormal gene function to lay the groundwork for developing minimally toxic treatments for all patients with cancer. Since its inception, SWCRF has invested more than $100 million in cancer research to support the work of more than 200 researchers across the globe.
About the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation:
The Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation is an international organization dedicated to curing and preventing cancer. The Foundation is a pioneer in cancer research and its mission is to eradicate cancer by funding cutting-edge research that identifies and corrects abnormal gene function that causes cancer and develops minimally toxic treatments for patients. Through the Foundation’s collaborative group of world-class scientists, the Institute Without Walls, investigators share information and tools to speed the pace of cancer research. Since its inception in 1976, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to support the work of more than 200 researchers across the globe. For more information, visit www.waxmancancer.org.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the nation’s leading integrated academic health systems and one of the largest in the New York metropolitan area. Its comprehensive system includes seven hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, over 600 research and clinical laboratories, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing. Together, the Health System comprises approximately 48,000 employees, more than 9,000 physicians, and 8,600 nurses.
As a leading learning health system, Mount Sinai combines clinical expertise with scientific discovery to improve patient care while training the next generation of health care and biomedical leaders. The Health System provides care across every stage of life, from prenatal care through geriatrics, while advancing personalized medicine through artificial intelligence, data science, and biomedical research.
Mount Sinai is consistently recognized among the nation’s leading academic health systems for patient care, research, and education. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 1 in New York by Newsweek and No. 5 on the magazine’s World’s Best Hospitals list. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai ranks No. 11 among U.S. medical schools and No. 1 among freestanding medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, reflecting the strength of its scientific enterprise and leadership in biomedical research.