Posted on: Friday, August 29, 2003
Venture capitalists told ideal site is here
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
With its diverse population and geographic isolation, Hawai'i is uniquely positioned to be a pioneer in cancer research. What's lacking is a central facility where researchers can collaborate and conduct clinical trials, which would attract more federal grants and the latest treatments and drugs, said Carl Wilhelm Vogel, director of the University of Hawai'i's Cancer Research Center of Hawai'i.
Vogel's comments came during a gathering of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association at the Plaza Club in downtown Honolulu yesterday. The Cancer Research Center is drumming up support and money for such a central facility for clinical trials, though the subject is somewhat contentious because it might duplicate services offered by hospitals within the area.
However, Vogel said a center for cancer clinical trials would partner with local healthcare providers with the goal of translating cancer research into patient care. In addition to offering advanced therapies to local and international patients, such a project would improve the visibility of cancer research in Hawai'i and be a linchpin for Hawai'i's fledgling biotech industry, he said.
"The more research investments you have the greater the likelihood to develop intellectual property that results in spin-offs," Vogel said.
Founded in 1971, the Cancer Research Center employs about 400 people and infuses about $30 million a year into the community, Vogel said. That figure equates to the total research money the center attracts annually.
A clinical trials center, which is in the planning stages, would be built near the new John A. Burns School of Medicine under construction in Kaka'ako. It would also alleviate some of the cancer center's current space restrictions at its Lauhala Street location.
"We have completely outgrown our building," Vogel said.
"You wouldn't believe how crowded we are."
Hawai'i provides an ideal backdrop for research because of its diverse mixture of Caucasians, Japanese, Hawaiians, Filipinos and other ethnic groups, Vogel said. Different ethnic groups have different rates for contracting various forms of cancer.
For example, Hawaiians have abnormally high mortality rates for stomach and breast cancer, despite relatively low risks for developing such cancers, Vogel said. And Filipino women have unusually high risks of contracting thyroid cancer.
"It is very clear, it is not all genes, it is environmental effects that cause cancer," Vogel said. "If you're Caucasian, your risk of developing breast cancer is twice as high than if you're Filipino.
"So we have a very unique opportunity to study the cause of cancer."
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.
