Scottsdale cancer researchers featured in ‘6th Vital Sign’ medical conference

Trent, Von Hoff to speak at Molecular Oncology conference sponsored by Scottsdale Healthcare

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Top cancer researchers from Scottsdale Healthcare will share their expertise in personalized treatments for cancer patients during the “Molecular Oncology: The Sixth Vital Sign, What Every Oncologist Should Know” medical conference Jan. 22-24 in Phoenix.

Personalized medicine uses genomics and molecular profiling to devise targeted therapies specific to an individual cancer patient. Program directors Ramesh Ramanathan, MD and Daniel Von Hoff, MD are conducting groundbreaking personalized medicine research and Phase I clinical trials at Scottsdale Healthcare.

“The sixth vital sign is personalized therapy, and this is what we do in our clinic trying to find the best therapy based on molecular markers for our patients,” said Dr. Ramanathan. “This is a national meeting focusing on molecular oncology and its application to the daily practice of medicine.”

The conference is for oncologists and other medical professionals involved in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Topics will explore new ways to target tumors in order to maximize benefit and minimize side effects to the patient. The process of finding a molecular target in cancers for therapy is referred to as “the sixth vital sign” by the Scottsdale Healthcare researchers.

Dr. Ramanathan is medical director, TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare and clinical professor of medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix campus. Dr. Von Hoff is chief scientific officer at Scottsdale Healthcare, physician in chief and senior investigator for the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and clinical professor of medicine, University of Arizona.

Scheduled speakers include TGen President and Scientific Director Jeffrey Trent, PhD, as well as other researchers from Scottsdale Healthcare, Arizona Cancer Center, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Duke University, Mayo Clinic and UCLA.

“Most of the drugs we work with are a new class called targeted drugs,” said Dr. Ramanathan of his practice at Scottsdale Healthcare. “Some are targeted for individual patients’ cancer and some towards the common genetic abnormalities that are found in cancer cells. We’ll probably be able to treat cancer patients with ‘personalized therapy’ – individually targeted drugs – in the next five to 10 years.”

Physicians attending the conference are eligible fro up to 16.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. For additional information or to register, go to www.cancerlearning.com.

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