Today at the Patient and Family Program portion of the 2011 NBTS Summit, those who are attending will have the opportunity to visit the Resource Center to learn more about local and national groups that provide information and support to those affected by brain tumors. But we want to be sure that those of you who can’t join us in at the Summit also know about these great resources. So, in no particular order…

NBTS Clinical Trials Matching Service by EmergingMed
www.EmergingMed.com/networks/NBTS
877.469.4812
EmergingMed offers a patented clinical trial matching service that helps people, in a matter of minutes, find appropriate clinical trials and trial sites that match their specific diagnosis, stage, symptoms, and treatment history.

Epilepsy Foundation of America
www.EpilepsyFoundation.org
The Epilepsy Foundation of America is a national voluntary agency working to ensure that people with seizers are able to participate in all life experiences; to improve how people with epilepsy are perceived, accepted, and valued in society; and to promote research for a cure.

CaringBridge
www.CaringBridge.org
CaringBridge offers an easy-to-use web-based service that allows people to communicate easily with family and friends about a significant health challenge.

Cancer Legal Resource Center
www.CancerLegalResourceCenter.org
866.843.2572
The Cancer Legal Resource Center provides free information and resources on cancer-related legal issues to cancer survivors, caregivers, health care professionals, employers, and others coping with cancer.

CancerCare
www.CancerCare.org
800.813.4673
CancerCare helps individuals and families better cope with and manage the emotional and practical challenges arising from cancer.

Visiting Nurse Service of Philadelphia
www.vnaphilly.org
215.473.7600
The VNA of Greater Philadelphia is the oldest and largest non-profit home health and hospice provider in the region, and one of the most innovative in the nation.

Cancer Support Community of Philadelphia
www.CancerSupport-phila.org
215.879.7733
The Cancer Support Community of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization serving people with cancer and their loved ones of all ages and ethnicities throughout the five-county area.

Patient Advocate Foundation
www.PatientAdvocate.org
800.532.5274
The mission of the Patient Advocate Foundation is to provide effective mediation and arbitration services to patients to remove obstacles to healthcare.

Family Caregiver Alliance
www.caregiver.org
800.445.8106
Family Caregiver Alliance serves as a point of entry to specialized caregiver services: information, emotional support, consultation on care planning, links to community programs, legal/financial consultation, respite services, counseling, publications, and educational programs.

Looking for even more resources? Check out the Resource Directory on our website!

“We are all in this together,” said Daniel Gallahan, PhD, Deputy Director of the Division of Cancer Biology, National Cancer Institute, at this afternoon’s systems biology panel discussion. “If we understand fundamental changes [that lead to progress] in one disease, we can extrapolate to other diseases.” Afterward, there was a robust discussion among government, industry, and others in the brain tumor community about the challenges and complexity of moving systems biology research forward quickly so that the research can be translated into better therapies.

N. Paul TonThat, Executive Director of the National Brain Tumor Society, passionately described both the frustration and the challenges involved in calling on the scientific community to refocus their efforts and accelerate development of new treatments for brain tumors.



To close the afternoon, Michael Berens, PhD, Professor and Director of the Cancer and Cell Biology Division of TGen, eloquently reminded the community that we are all trying to do something that no one else has done. Although there will be unavoidable challenges along the way, this effort promises to have a huge impact.



It was a great day filled with tons of information! And we're only on day 2!  Looking forward to the Patient and Family Reception and the Patient and Family Program tomorrow.

Systems biology: It sounds like a required course you'd sleep through in college...but it's the new cool stuff in brain tumor research. Today the National Brain Tumor Society (NBTS) is bringing cancer all-stars together to discuss the critical role of systems biology research at the Research Symposium. NBTS believes that a systems biology approach to brain tumor research will enable researchers to identify new therapies aimed at shutting down the systems that drive tumor growth.

By bringing together the disciplines of molecular biology, genomics, physics, mathematics, and engineering, systems biology provides scientists with the ability to understand the complexity of cancer, and the data necessary to use to disrupt and destroy cancer.

Systems biology is particularly appropriate for brain tumor research for two reasons.

First, brain tumors are highly complex biological systems. The interconnecting pathways within brain tumor cells, the diversity of cells within a tumor, and the interactions of tumor cells with their environment allow them to adapt to some treatments. Combination therapies, focused on more than a single target, will be required to effectively treat aggressive brain tumors, such as glioblastoma.

A systems biology approach is needed to make sense of the complexity, diversity, and adaptability of tumors.

Second, systems biology research is needed to enable the rapid analysis of data, which will help scientists predict which combinations of therapies will shut down pathways that sustain tumor growth. Mathematical modeling and simulations provide valuable insights into the many factors that impact the tumor system. Data analysis provides critical information about how cells are allowed to maintain the growth of tumors, despite interventions. A systems biology approach is needed to make sense of these complexities and to ultimately predict how tumors will respond to potential new therapies, and to determine which combination of therapies will best stop tumor growth.

Check out our website to learn more about systems biology and check back after November 4 as we'll have videos and more information.

It’s here! Tonight kicks off the National Brain Tumor Society 2011 Summit! After much planning, we could not be more excited to bring you an event where you can learn the latest about brain tumor research, share resources, connect with new people, celebrate accomplishments, and take action to make your voices heard. 

The Summit gets started tonight with the NBTS Annual meeting, where attendees will hear about the promise of systems biology and meet our research grant recipients. We’re also excited to present three Community Leadership Awards, to people who are making a difference through their commitment to the cause.

On Friday, scientific, government, and patient leaders are gathering for the NBTS Research Symposium, “Stepping Up to the Complexity Challenge: The Systems Biology Era of Cancer Research.” Experts in the field will discuss integrated cancer research, including systems biology, and how this method will advance the search for new therapies in new, bold ways. After the Symposium, the Patient and Family Welcome Reception will start at 6pm with a fun and informal gathering with fellow people in the brain tumor community (including lots of special guests!).

The Reception is just a warm-up for the Patient and Family Program on Saturday, where patients and families can listen to fantastic speakers, join focused discussion groups, get one-on-one information and helpful resources from local and national groups, and connect with NBTS. This conference is a great way to not only gain a ton of new knowledge, but also really connect (in person!) with others in the brain tumor community.

Hard to believe that there’s more but we will close the Summit weekend with the Race for Hope–Philadelphia, which starts from the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. You can still register the morning of the event, so if you haven’t already registered, we hope you will join the thousands of people who have already raised over $600,000 for brain tumor research.

How’s that for a jam-packed four days?! Keep an eye on this blog throughout the weekend for lots more updates from the Summit. We’ll be posting updates on Facebook and Twitter too. If you are joining us for the Summit and tweeting about it, please use #NBTSSummit11 so other people can see what you are saying about the event!

Happy Summiting!