Accelerating New Cancer Treatment Options

Daniel Budman, MD, not only has extensive experience treating cancer patients, but also with searching for solutions in the laboratory.

He is a principal investigator for the National Cancer Institute-sponsored Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) research group, which brings together clinical oncologists and laboratory investigators to develop better treatments for cancer. In this arena, Dr. Budman was responsible for introducing new agents into CALGB breast cancer trials.

As he develops the new partnership between the North Shore-LIJ Health System and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Dr. Budman continues to bring together the complementary work of physicians and researchers. In this new Leadership Series installment, he discusses how the partnership can help give cancer patients quicker access to more breakthrough treatments. See video highlights of Dr. Budman’s discussion below.

Question from interviewer: You recently assumed a new role as North Shore-LIJ’s director of translational research for hematology and medical oncology and you will be playing a key role in developing the health system’s alliance with the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Tell me about that.

Dr. Budman: This is a wonderful opportunity for Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and North Shore-LIJ Health System to meld efforts. We’recombining the efforts of a premiere health system with a world-class research institution. This will increase efforts to understand and treat diseases and, hopefully, prevent them. This could be game-changing.

Q: Explain how the partnership will be managed.

Dr. Budman: I have a background in both laboratory and clinical science. My major goal will be doing transitional work; melding the doctors with the PhD researchers. Historically they’ve operated in silos and there’s very little interchange between the two. We want to enhance that interchange so that the people doing [laboratory] research understand physicians’ problems and vice versa.

It will be educational for both sides. The research side will get to see what happens on the hospital floor and the doctors will get to see what happens in the research lab.

Q: This affiliation is part of a broader initiative to enhance North Shore-LIJ’s cancer services. Can you elaborate on the initiatives the Cancer Institute has undertaken and what successes have you had?

Dr. Budman: We’ve been working with the National Cancer Institute through research grants for many years, mainly dealing with clinical research. We have many people in the Cancer Institute who are well-versed in clinical research and translational research. What this allows us to do is amplify that to the next level.

Cancer, unfortunately, is still a major problem worldwide. In fact, the World Health Organization has indicated that by 2020 cancer will be the number one diagnosis around the world. We haven’t solved the problem. We’ve made inroads, treatments are better, but the problem is still there. [The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory] has made basic biologic findings that totally revolutionize much of biology; and now we can meld that with clinical problems.

To see more of the interview, click here: http://bit.ly/1f2RQml