Yonsei Cancer Research Institute and WIN Consortium Discuss Development

of New Drugs for Specialized and Targeted Cancer Treatment

On May 15, Dr. Vladimir Lazar, chief operating officer of the WIN (Worldwide Innovative Networking in cancer medicine) Consortium, visited the Yonsei Cancer Research Institute to discuss the development of specialized and targeted cancer treatment drugs based on genetics. Headquartered in Paris, the non-profit WIN Consortium was created in 2010 with the leadership of France’s Gustave Roussy Institute, where Dr. Lazar is head of the Integrated Biology Platform, and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

According to its website, the WIN Consortium “represents a global collaboration of cancer centers, life science and biotech organizations, pharmaceutical and technology companies, health plans, and patient advocacy groups. These stakeholders have come together from all parts of the world to address the challenge of increasing the efficacy of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics by understanding the genetics and biology of each individual’s tumor and accounting for genetic differences across diverse populations—from North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.” The Yonsei Cancer Research Institute joined the consortium in 2014.

Currently, one the WIN Consortium’s projects involves developing new treatment drugs for squamous cell lung cancer. During his visit, Dr. Lazar discussed practical issues related to these clinical trials with professors from Severance Hospital’s Lung Cancer Clinic. They also discussed current research on many other types of cancers, the development of more efficacious drug evaluation systems, and the transfer of medical technologies. Later, Dr. Lazar was given a tour of several of the specialized clinics that make up the Yonsei Cancer Center.

On the same day, Professor Rolf A. Stahel, director of the European Society for Medical Oncology, visited the Oncology Center at the invitation of Yonsei’s Song Dang Institute for Cancer Research. While there, Professor Stahel gave a special lecture on “Recent Immunity Treatment in Lung Cancer.” He also discussed potential joint clinical research projects with Yonsei Oncology professors focused on developing new cancer drugs. The two parties plan to continue these discussions at future conferences, in particular the Europe-Asia Oncology Conference, which will be held in December.