Facilities

The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium (LCRC) in New Orleans will be a shared 150,000 sq. ft. facility with state-of-the-art cancer research equipment. The center will cost approximately $90 million and will be located in the heart of the New Orleans medical research district on Tulane Avenue next to St. Joseph’s Church.

With the center’s coordinated cancer research and education programs the LCRC can recruit a world-class faculty and optimize discovery and development of innovative cancer therapies leading to innovative clinical treatment programs. These programs will offer new opportunities for early detection, treatment, and prevention of cancer.

Cancer Center site location

The Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium will be conveniently located on Tulane Avenue in New Orleans, between Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans and Tulane University Health Sciences Center. See a map of the site here.

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Vision

Building on the strengths of LSU Health Sciences Center of New Orleans and Tulane University Health Sciences Center , to develop a cancer research, education, and treatment resource for this region that will be internationally recognized for excellence

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Mission

To develop a coordinated cancer research and education program that will optimize discovery and development of innovative cancer therapies; lead to innovative clinical treatment programs offering new opportunities for early detection, treatment, and prevention of cancer in our region; and promote regional economic growth

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Cancer Trends

• One in three women and nearly one in two men will develop cancer sometime in their lifetime.

• Louisiana has the highest cancer mortality rate in the nation according to statistics from the American Cancer Society.

• Cancer is becoming the single largest health expense in the U.S. Twenty percent of every health care dollar in 2001 was spent on cancer.

• There is no NCI-Designated Cancer Center in Louisiana, Mississippi or Arkansas.

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Consortium History

Senate Bill 73

To address these issues, the Louisiana State Legislature, during the 2002 Special Session, passed legislation to create the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium of New Orleans. This Consortium provides a structure in which Tulane University Health Sciences Center and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - the state's two leading medical research institutions - will work together and coordinate cancer research development in preparation for recognition as a National Cancer Institute (NCI)- Designated Cancer Center.

House Bill 157

During the 2002 Regular Legislative Session, the Louisiana State Legislature passed a 12-cent increase in the tax on a pack of cigarettes, three cents of which would fund infrastructure and cancer research program development for the new Consortium. Conservative estimates indicate that approximately $10 million per year will be generated from this revenue source.

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Cooperative Planning

• Goals and organizational structure established

• Co-directors with pivotal leadership responsibilities at each University

• Steering Committee established, comprised of Deputy Directors, Associate Directors, Program and Core leaders (with ad hoc members)

• Joint Recruitment procedures established and initiated

• Building planning processes (site selection and RFQ)

• External Advisory Board, Chairman - Dr. Hal Moses

• Follow-up NCI visit to evaluate progress and chart our future

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The Future

In addition to breaking ground on a new shared facility with state-of-the-art cancer research equipment and laboratories, the Consortium's immediate goals include:

• Continued strategic planning for integration and collaboration

• Recruitment of world-class faculty in key areas

• Cross-fertilization with other Tulane/LSU partnerships, including the Louisiana Gene Therapy Research Consortium and the Neurobiotechnology Program of Louisiana

• Creation of a smoke-free Louisiana and improvement of the health of her citizens

• Creation of a new biotech industry in Louisiana

• Continued preparation for recognition as an NCI-Designated Cancer Center
  

NCI Designation: What Does It Mean?

• The Cancer Centers Program of the NCI supports major academic and research institutions throughout the United States.

• Requests from eligible institutions for cancer center support are subjected to a competitive peer review process.

• Successful applicants are awarded a P30 Cancer Center Support Grant to fund the scientific infrastructure of the cancer center, including administration, research resources, and flexible funds that help the center pursue its planned objectives and take immediate advantage of new basic and clinical research opportunities.

• There are currently 61 NCI-Designated Cancer Centers in the United States.
  

Benefits for the State

The Consortium's success will mean much more than improved cancer research for the citizens of Louisiana. It will also:

• Fuel economic development by helping to attract federal grants, industrial partnerships, good jobs, and new businesses as a result of scientific discovery

• Promote cancer prevention and aim to lower the death rate from cancer

• Provide the citizens of Louisiana better opportunities for cancer care with an NCI-Designated Cancer Center in their home state.

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Scientific Organization

Click to enlarge image

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Copyright(c) Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, 2003-2006