From the Director's Desk - The ICRP
Working Towards a Coordinated World-Wide Approach to Cancer Research
The California Breast Cancer Research Program has worked with the International Cancer Research Partners (ICRP) to create a comprehensive cancer research database that allows public access to the research supported by eight funding organizations in the US and UK. The partners are dedicated to making current and ongoing cancer research information widely available and to promoting international collaboration.
Anyone interested in cancer research will find the ICRP database to be a useful tool. Researchers may browse the database for research ideas or find a collaborative partner; policy makers may use the database as a research tool during the formulation of new health care and service delivery policies; health care professionals, patients, survivors, and advocates may review the current status of funded research; funding organizations may use the database to set priorities for future research funding efforts and improve coordination with other research organizations.
The ICRP participants developed a framework for sharing information about current and ongoing cancer research, classified their active research portfolios using the shared criteria (the Common Scientific Outline), and made the resulting database available for public use. Research is organized around seven broad areas of scientific cancer research interest, then further divided into 38 subcategories. The ICRP database is flexible, allowing searches under a variety of criteria, such as type of cancer, area of research, and funding organization. An advanced search feature is available, allowing for refined, narrowly-targeted searches.
Currently the ICRP Web site (www.cancerportfolio.org) includes research abstracts from more than 15,000 active research projects and more than 20,000 total awards from the following partners: the UK National Cancer Research Institute (itself a partnership of the 15 major cancer research funding bodies from the UK government, charity, and private sectors), the National Cancer Institute (US), the US Department of Defense Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, the California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP), Prostate Cancer Foundation, Oncology Nursing Society Foundation, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the American Cancer Society.
The CBCRP is currently the fourth largest funder of breast cancer research in the world. In our quest to bring an end to the suffering caused by breast cancer, it is imperative that we use our funds wisely. The ICRP provides us with an exciting tool to challenge the way cancer research is carried out. For the first time, the major cancer research funding bodies from the government, charity, and private sectors are working together in partnership to coordinate cancer research and ensure faster progress for the benefit of patients and the worldwide cancer research community.
Marion Kavanaugh-Lynch, M.D., M.P.H.
For the past four years, CBCRP has been part of a consortium of cancer research funding agencies working together to create a common lexicon for categorizing cancer research. The consortium has become a dynamic and effective working group which is now moving beyond simply creating a taxonomy. At its last meeting in London in May, the group adopted a new name and mission statement:
The International Cancer Research Partners (ICRP) aim to facilitate collaboration and coordination in cancer research by encouraging:
- Use of the Common Scientific Outline (CSO) to classify cancer research
- Use of CSO analyses to inform strategic planning and cancer research funding
- Participation in the ICRP website for the benefit of the inter-national cancer community and the public.
