NCCS Oncologist receives prestigious Young Investigator Award from American Society of Clinical Oncology

Thursday, 4 Jun 2009

Singapore, 4 Jun 2009 – Dr Daniel SW Tan, Medical Oncologist at the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), has been conferred the Young Investigator Award of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Cancer Foundation. He is the first oncologist from National Cancer Centre and Singapore to receive the award.

The award, which recognises investigators for their contributions in clinical oncology, was given to 48 fellows worldwide at the 2009 ASCO Annual Meeting held in Orlando, Florida on 31 May.

Since its inception in 1984, the YIA has been bestowed to 572 recipients; this year the award was US$50,000 sponsored by the ASCO cancer foundation. The aim of the YIA is to provide funding to promising investigators during their transition from a fellowship program to a faculty appointment, and applicants should be planning an investigative career in clinical oncology . In the selection process, factors considered include the s ignificance and originality of the proposed study/ hypothesis as well as qualifications and experiences of the applicant and mentor.

Dr Tan would use the grant in his research on “Delineating Clinically Relevant targets of Anti-Angiogenic Small Molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma” (see attached).

Dr Tan, who holds BSc (Hons), MBBS and MRCP qualifications from London, is currently on a National Medical Research Council Fellowship in the Drug Development Unit of The Royal Marsden Hospital, a leading cancer centre in the UK. Upon his return in July 2009, he will engage in lab-based research work at the NCCS-VARI Laboratory, a joint project with the US-based Van Andel Research Institute. Together with his mentor Professor Teh Bin Tean, they plan to delineate the stromal influence on drug response and resistance through a series of pre-clinical experiments including in vitro and in vivo drug testing assays. These assays will further allow rational drug combinations and schedules to be examined, which can then be explored in the clinic.

Dr Tan would also be part of the Medical Oncology team at NCCS working as an Oncologist and managing clinical trials to validate such research.

Dr Tan was glad that his proposal came through the peer-review process and was selected for funding by a highly regarded international scientific body. He said: ”The award also re-affirms our intention to develop a translational cancer therapeutics unit engaging in pre-clinical research and early phase clinical trials. As a unit, we hope to further enhance our research infrastructure and work in close collaboration with the talented pool of scientists and clinicians at NCCS, as well as overseas institutions with complementary expertise.”

Commenting on Dr Tan’s latest achievement, Prof Soo Khee Chee, Director of National Cancer Centre who also specialised in Head and Neck/ Nasopharyngeal Cancer gave the thumbs-up. “Daniel’s achievement has certainly enhanced Singapore’s reputation in producing excellent talents in the medical field and put our small country on the world arena. His project is a challenging attempt at finding how a targeted drug works in nasopharyngeal cancer. With nasopharyngeal cancer affecting about 400 Singaporeans each year, it is indeed a project worth the effort as it can translate into improved interventions for the disease. I congratulate Daniel for the fine achievement .”

For more information, please contact NCCS Corporate Communications :

Ms Veronica Lee
Senior Executive, Corporate Communications
National Cancer Centre Singapore
Tel: 6236 9429 / 9450 4017
Email: Veronica.Lee.H.E.@nccs.com.sg

Ms Carol Ang
Executive, Corporate Communications
National Cancer Centre Singapore
Tel: 6236 4924 / 9845 5354
Email: Carol.Ang.S.Y@nccs.com.sg


About National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS)

The National Cancer Centre Singapore (http://www.nccs.com.sg/) is a premier cancer research and treatment facility in Singapore and in the region. It was established in 1997 and sees about 68 per cent of the public sector medical oncology cases and 74 per cent of radiation oncology cases. NCCS not only houses the most number of oncologists in Singapore but is also equipped with the largest number of equipment to provide the latest radiation oncology care in Singapore.

About ‘Delineating Clinically Relevant Targets of Anti-Angiogenic Small Molecule Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma’

By Dr Daniel SW Tan B.Sc (Hons), University College London; MBBS (St. Bartholomew's and Royal London Hospital School of Medicine and Dentistry, London); MRCP from Royal College of Physicians (UK)

Since the complete mapping of the human genome, a new generation of novel anti-cancer drugs have emerged that target cancer at a molecular level. Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) is one such class of drugs, and are typically directed against one or more cellular proteins that are de-regulated in cancer.

Angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels) is an important requisite for tumour growth. Anti-angiogenic TKIs are able to inhibit this growth, but recent clinical trials of such agents in solid tumours have yielded only modest benefit, likely underscoring the lack of patient selection. Furthermore, many TKIs are multi-targeted and their therapeutic effect may extend beyond anti-angiogenesis, and include direct cellular effects on the cancer cells or connective tissue (stroma) that support them.Stroma has been implicated in the propagation of tumours as well as drug resistance.

Understanding the interactions between these cell populations and how TKIs affect them, gives an insight into mediators of drug sensitivity and resistance – which in turn facilitates better patient selection and the design of rational treatment strategies. Cancer is a biologically heterogeneous disease, and the emerging challenge is in selecting the right patients for the right drug or combination of drugs. Ultimately there is a need to shift towards personalised treatment approaches based on the specific biology of individual tumours.

The research aims to:

• To improve scientific insight of how small molecule anti-angiogenic drugs works within Naso-pharyngeal Cancer.
• Understand how such drugs impact on the interaction between cellular compartments in solid tumours, and how they might influence growth and drug resistance.
• Provide a basis for design of rational treatment regimes to improve management and outcomes of patients.

The fundamental biology gleaned from these experiments can be potentially applied to other tumour types like ovarian cancer, kidney cancer and gastrointestinal cancers. Moreover, the pre-clinical drug testing assays can be used to determine the effects of other single agent or combination therapies, and represents a useful platform to explore novel anti-cancer treatment strategies.