The University of MD Anderson Cancer Center and Rice University, both based in Houston, have launched a Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative, a hub that aims to advance cancer research and accelerate the time it takes to turn findings into clinical use.
The initiative will foster collaboration between engineering and cancer experts, who will focus on driving discovery and advancements in five key areas: cell therapies, nanotechnologies, cancer vaccines, artificial intelligence and molecular imaging, according to a June 27 news release.
The collaborative will be led by Gang Bao, PhD, department chair of bioengineering at Rice, and Jeffrey Molldrem, MD, chair of hematopoietic biology and malignancy at MD Anderson.
"From fundamental discoveries in cancer science, tumor immunology and patient care, to innovative engineering advances in drug delivery systems, nanostructures and synthetic biology, there is great potential for enabling cross-disciplinary collaboration to develop new technologies and approaches for detecting, monitoring and treating cancer," Dr. Molldrem said in the release. "Our goal is to bridge the gap between bioengineering and cancer research to create transformative solutions that significantly improve patient outcomes."