Cancer has been part of the human condition since the beginning of recorded time. What are believed to be the first descriptions were found in an ancient Egyptian surgical medical textbook from 3000 BC. Today, cancer continues to be a national health menace. Even with the many advances in treatment and care, it remains the second most common cause of death with over 585,720 cancer deaths and 1,665,540 new cancer cases diagnosed in 2014.
This month in our social media, the focus will be on cancer. So, why cancer you ask? Emory has a deep commitment to cancer research and patient care. One of the most prominent signs of the University’s commitment to cancer research and patient care is the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, the only National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center in Georgia. (Join us in one of our next blogs to find out more about Winship.) Also, while there are now more than 20 awareness days, weeks, or months around cancer, May just happens to be National Cancer Research Month (follow #NCRM15 this month on Twitter),[i] so we are taking this opportunity to help build awareness around the ways Emory is impacting cancer research.
In technology transfer we often say that the greatest innovations start as great discoveries in the lab. Throughout May we will be sharing some of those great discoveries in cancer research—licensable technologies in the oncology space, which are still looking for a home with a commercial partner (a full list of which can be found here). We will also share our stories of great innovations in cancer that are well on their way to having an impact or that are already making a difference in patients’ lives. We hope you will follow and join us in recognizing the amazing efforts of our researchers, faculty & clinicians as they work to make the future in which we are better able to diagnose and treat cancers of all types.
[i] http://www.cancer.net/research-and-advocacy/cancer-awareness-dates or http://www.cancer.org/aboutus/whoweare/cancer-awareness-calendar