UA Cancer Center among founding members of the Academic Breast Cancer Consortium

The University of Arizona Cancer Center is a founding member of the Academic Breast Cancer Consortium (ABRCC), an organization that will design, conduct and analyze clinical trials with a focus on Phase I, IB and II studies.

The consortium includes National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers, and prominent cancer institutes and research organizations. The founding members were selected competitively with an emphasis on an established breast cancer treatment program with infrastructure support; a demonstrated commitment to cancer treatment, especially through community access and professional support; outstanding and nationally recognized laboratory, treatment and research facilities; clinicians with expertise in breast cancer research and treatment; an ability to contribute to translational research and principal investigators (PI) who are renowned clinical research leaders.

Pavani Chalasani, MD, MPH, a breast cancer medical oncologist, is the UA Cancer Center’s PI for the ABRCC.

The benefits of ABRCC to the UA Cancer Center, Dr. Chalasani said, are coordinated project management, monitoring and data management, review and analysis. Master clinical trial agreements with each participating institution reduce the time that clinical studies open and simplify management, with the clinical research organization negotiating with the pharmaceutical companies developing the cancer therapies.

Having multiple cancer centers conducting identical drug studies offers more patients access to pharmaceutical trials, she said.

“ABRCC is an academic consortium formed for the new era of clinical trial design and implementation. Our goal is to rapidly translate advances in breast cancer research into targeted therapies that will benefit our patients,” said Peter Kabos, MD, ABRCC director.