NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC) (www.lcrc.info) today announced the inclusion of the Ochsner Health System as a new partner. The decision to bring Ochsner into the Consortium was made by the members of the LCRC - LSU Health Sciences Center, Tulane University and Xavier University of Louisiana - with the goal of expanding the LCRC's cancer research activities, particularly increasing the potential for patient participation in clinical trials through access to Ochsner's extensive health network.
"Ochsner is a valuable addition to the LCRC partnership," said Dr. Larry H. Hollier, chairman of the board of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium. "Collaboration with Ochsner and its local researchers, physicians and neighborhood clinics will further enhance the efforts of our existing LCRC partners to develop a world-class coordinated cancer research and education resource for this region."
"Ochsner's involvement in the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium will have a direct and immediate impact on the lives of the people of Louisiana," says Dr. Patrick J. Quinlan, CEO of Ochsner Health System. "We feel that our participation can only strengthen the existing LCRC team of cancer care experts, clinical experts and research leaders."
For the past eight years, through the work of its university partners, the LCRC has developed a collaborative cancer alliance that has built successful programs in cancer prevention and control, cultivated state-of-the-art basic research and treatment options, and created cancer education programs for the citizens of Louisiana. LCRC researchers attract over $30 million in federal cancer research grant funding per year to the region, despite decreased federal research budgets and sharply increased competition.
The addition of Ochsner will further enhance and complement the Consortium's current clinical research efforts through expanded availability of National Institutes of Health, pharmaceutical, and investigator-initiated clinical trials. The eventual goal is to combine the clinical research programs of all partners and provide common access to the LCRC's cancer trials through all of the Consortium's clinical outlets.
Funding for the Consortium comes largely from the 2002 legislative session, which dedicated three cents of the tobacco tax to fund infrastructure and cancer research development for the Consortium. With the assistance of Louisiana State Senator John A. Alario, Jr., and others, an amount of $102 million for planning and construction of an LCRC cancer research facility came from the Blanco administration and the Louisiana Legislature in 2007.
Upon completion, the LCRC's new building, scheduled for a fall 2011 opening, will serve as the physical embodiment of the Consortium's work. LCRC scientists will be housed under one roof and will be able to continue working side-by-side to jointly study a variety of cancers while designing new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat them.
The new Louisiana Cancer Research Center is located in what is known as the Greater New Orleans Biosciences Economic Development District, an area that will also include the BioInnovation Center on Canal Street, the proposed University Medical Center and the new VA Medical Center, a teaching and research medical complex that will serve the area's medical and allied health schools.
"With the addition of Ochsner and the growth and development of the city's biosciences and biomedical industries, the LCRC will be in a better position to achieve NCI (National Cancer Institute) designation," says Steve Moye, president & CEO of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium.
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