Cancer Research

Of our many medical camps dedicated to the cancer battle, research is the ultimate bastion of hope. For the physician on the front line of patient care, research offers the real possibility that he or she will have more powerful and effective weapons to use in preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer. For the cancer victim, participating in a research clinical trial is sometimes the only remaining recourse to stopping an opponent that otherwise won't be stopped.

Medical research is also a lively and long-standing enterprise here. The medical center has 39 principal investigators on its staff, pursuing a wide range of research activities, including some 162 human studies and clinical trials. Pending grants total nearly $20 million -- a 115 percent increase over last year. As the newest major research initiative, the medical center has opened the Center for Stem Cell Biology, the only program of its kind in the state.