MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid has today inaugurated the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Unit for cancer patients, one of the largest units dedicated to clinical trials in Spain and Europe, which hopes to serve those cancer patients for whom conventional treatments have not provided the desired therapeutic response.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Mr. Juan José Hernández, Vice President of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Spain Foundation and CEO of the Hospiten Group; Dr. Enrique Grande, Head of the Medical Oncology Service of the Hospital and Head of Clinical Research of the MD Anderson Spain Foundation; and Dr. Gema Moreno, Head of the Translational Research Laboratory of the MD Anderson Spain Foundation.
"For us, research represents the most effective weapon to defeat cancer. Therefore, the new Phase I Clinical Trials Unit is yet another demonstration of our commitment to science in line with our priority objective of eradicating this disease," says Mr. Juan José Hernández.
The Phase I Clinical Trials Unit, located within the hospital itself, has 725 square meters dedicated to researching "the most promising oncological drugs in clinical development in the world," explains Dr. Grande.
The new MD Anderson Madrid Unit represents a great opportunity to access new and different options for those patients where standard treatments have not worked as expected. "We intend that this Unit, which will have the advice of our colleagues at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, becomes one of the most advanced in Spain and at the European level for the development of drugs in oncology," adds Dr. Grande, who adds that he aspires to, over time, become the Unit that treats the largest number of cancer patients and clinical trials in the country.
The Unit is focused on Phase I research of therapies for any type of solid and hematological oncological tumors. The main objective of clinical trials is to know the usefulness and safety of new drugs, as well as their mechanism of action.
In Spain, a third of the clinical trials launched are in the initial phases of research; that is, in the first tests of a drug in humans after confirming its effectiveness in animal models. This is the so-called Phase I, the most complex, but also key to being able to test potentially effective molecules. "Having this type of clinical trials is an indicator of quality in cancer centers," says Dr. Moreno. Therefore, she adds, "having a Unit of this type means offering one more therapeutic possibility and opportunity for cure or improvement of the quality of life of our patients."
Nine trials in Phase I
The Unit starts with the investigation of nine Phase I clinical trials, although it estimates to develop forty simultaneous Phase I studies. These studies offer the opportunity to receive therapies directed against specific mutations or fusions of oncogenes that are found in some tumors or combinations with new immunotherapeutic drugs.
In principle, the profile of the patients will be those with solid tumors in which the presence of metastasis has been seen and to whom the usual treatments have not worked. "It would be interesting to also focus on patients with non-small cell lung tumor, head and neck tumors, bladder cancer, endometrium, cervix and breast cancer," proposes Grande.
The Unit will be available to patients, pharmaceutical companies and clinical and translational research groups who wish to develop their medicines there.
The new Unit has highly qualified personnel to be able to offer patients the most innovative treatments in unified and multidisciplinary facilities, favoring a better quality and patient care. The facilities will have their own reception, waiting room, day hospital, coordination and monitoring area, meeting room, etc.
About MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid
MD Anderson Cancer Center Madrid is a subsidiary of the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston (Texas, USA). With more than twenty years of history in our country, MD Anderson Madrid currently has modern facilities, more than 150 medical specialists trained in oncology, a total of 87 hospitalization beds and state-of-the-art technological equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of different types of cancer.
This important infrastructure, together with a continuous and close collaboration with the MD Anderson center in Houston in research activities, as well as diagnostic and treatment protocols with the participation of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, place MD Anderson Madrid as one of the most advanced hospital centers in Europe in the treatment of cancer. For more information: mdanderson.es
