It’s a new era at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI). Leading the way in cancer research, treatment, and education for more than a century, today RPCI is putting in place the final components of a strategic plan that will set our course for a second century of extraordinary advances in cancer research and treatment. Equipped with the best facilities, the sharpest and most creative minds, and the single objective of curing cancer, we stand on the threshold of historic discovery. Will you join us?

Explore the benefits of RPCI:

• Our work has a single focus: eradicating cancer.
• Our campus features 865,000 square feet of research and clinical space built or completely renovated within the past five years.
• RPCI protects research time for the physician-scientist.
• Our world-class faculty was awarded over $78 million in research grants and contracts during the past year.
• We have boosted our intellectual capital with the recruitment of more than 130 top clinical and scientific faculty members in the past five years.

Founded in 1898 by Roswell Park, MD, Roswell Park Cancer Institute was the first institution in the nation dedicated to a comprehensive, laboratory-based approach to the understanding and treatment of cancer. Today RPCI helps set the national standard for cancer care as one of 19 members of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). In recent years, RPCI has invested millions of dollars in our faculty and our campus to fuel a new era of innovation. Our heritage, reputation, and potential for further breakthroughs continue to attract highly talented scientists from across the nation and around the world. 

Mission

To understand, prevent and cure cancer.

Marks of Distinction

• The Institute is recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as one of only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the U.S. This designation signifies that all research, treatment, and educational programs meet rigorous national standards and that the Institute has contributed fundamentally to the fight against cancer.
• The innovative quality of our faculty’s research has earned RPCI a place among the National Cancer Institute’s top grantees.
• Over the past century, RPCI has been the source of historic breakthroughs in the field of oncology:
     – RPCI initiated the nation’s first chemotherapy program.
     – RPCI conducted some of the earliest studies linking smoking to lung cancer.
     – RPCI developed the PSA test for prostate-cancer screening.
     – RPCI developed photodynamic therapy (PDT), approved by the FDA for the treatment of skin and esophageal cancers. RPCI is now developing the second generation of PDT drugs.
     – RPCI geneticists created the gene library used to map and sequence the human genome. An RPCI geneticist was part of the research team involved in the international effort.

Research
RPCI’s concentration on research is supported at every level, not only with the financial resources and facilities essential to discovery, but also by ensuring that faculty members have the research time they require. The opportunity to meet regularly with colleagues from other disciplines nurtures intellectual stimulation and suggests new ways of approaching difficult problems.

• Physician-scientists have protected research time.
• With the opening of our new, $74 million Center for Genetics and Pharmacology in 2006, RPCI has added a 170,000 square-foot facility housing state-of-the-art wet labs for biological and genetic research. The center will contribute significantly to our cancer genetics and pharmacogenetics programs.
• RPCI places great emphasis on translational research. The configuration of the campus and the close interaction between clinical and research staff facilitate the transfer of information between the clinical and laboratory settings.
• RPCI’s Center for Pharmacology and Therapeutics, a unique resource for faculty, is capable of taking drug development from the conceptual stage through clinical trials and FDA approval.
• RPCI’s Disease-Site Research Groups meet regularly —an indication of RPCI’s commitment to translational research. Surgical and medical oncologists, pathologists, radiologists, radiation oncologists, and the basic research faculty are free, in the words of Dr. Michael Wong, to “let the ideas fly and create the collaborations you need to be competitive.”

Clinical
Cancer patients are at the heart of our work. Our hospital provides the best care available, in part because our multidisciplinary clinics are centered on specific diseases, rather than physician specialties in surgery or oncology. This approach recognizes the systemic nature of cancer, providing a broader perspective and ensuring that the patient’s full medical team reviews every facet of diagnosis and treatment.

Our patients benefit in other ways from RPCI’s clinical advantages:

• As an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, RPCI provides not only medical diagnosis and treatment, but also a network of support services to address patients’ psychological and spiritual needs. The RPCI team is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of our patients and their families.
• Patients at Roswell Park Cancer Institute benefit from access to clinical trials. RPCI has sponsored or collaborated on more than 350 clinical trials.
• Our hospital focuses exclusively on the treatment of cancer patients, so our clinical staff is free to concentrate its clinical work in specific areas of oncology without interruptions for unrelated cases.
• As an NCCN member institution, RPCI contributes to the development of national standards of care in oncology and works closely with major payers to raise the standard of patient care both locally and regionally.

Our multidisciplinary approach to the RPCI mission brings together faculty from different disciplines, encouraging discussion and collaboration. Because our laboratory and clinical facilities share a single integrated campus, there is frequent interaction between basic researchers and clinicians. The same spirit of collaboration advances our work in the larger community. RPCI has established strong relationships with other institutions in this region and in other parts of the nation.

Partnerships: Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and Buffalo Life Sciences Complex
RPCI is part of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), a consortium of seven healthcare and medical research institutions that have joined forces to advance education, research, patient care, and the commercialization of scientific discoveries. Within the BNMC, the new Buffalo Life Sciences Complex (BLSC) links three premier research institutions, which share core facilities and build on existing collaborations to speed the development of new therapies. This venture is transforming the Buffalo Niagara region, attracting private-sector support for innovation in the life sciences and generating exciting new business ventures.

• RPCI’s new Center for Genetics and Pharmacology will complement the work of the two other institutions that are part of the BLSC.
• The Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI), is an independent, non-profit biomedical research institute. HWI’s president, mathematician Herbert A. Hauptman, PhD, won the 1985 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in crystallography, which opened the door to the development of new kinds of drugs. The new HWI facility houses biomedical research programs in structural biology, genomics, and proteomics.

The University at Buffalo (UB) is the largest research campus in the State University of New York system. Its  Center for Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, part of the BLSC, is one of five Research Centers of Excellence in New York State. In addition to providing expertise in bioinformatics and access to UB’s supercomputer, the center serves as a resource for drug design and the commercialization of new products for the BLSC partners.

Internal Collaboration
RPCI is a teaching institution with a long and illustrious tradition as a Graduate Division of the University at Buffalo. Today 200 students from across the U.S. and around the world are pursuing masters and doctoral degrees at RPCI.

• Our graduate programs are closely aligned with multidisciplinary, translational research programs at RPCI that ensure student access to superior resources and faculty.
• Programs of excellence include doctoral programs in cellular and molecular biology, cancer pathology and prevention, immunology, molecular and cellular biophysics, molecular pharmacology and cancer therapeutics, as well as an interdisciplinary doctoral program and a Master of Science program.
• The Cancer Pathology and Prevention Program is one of only a handful of programs in the country focusing on the emerging field of chemoprevention.
• The core curriculum includes a two-semester, comprehensive course in oncology, laboratory rotations, and research ethics training.
• The state-of-the-art medical and scientific library provides electronic access to more than 700 journals.

The spirit of mutual education extends beyond formal academic programs into our clinical and research endeavors.  Senior faculty demonstrate a genuine interest in mentoring their junior colleagues. The close working relationships that develop enhance the comfortable spirit of collegiality at RPCI and make it possible for junior faculty to move farther and faster in their professional development. Our Town Hall meetings bring together all members of the Institute, keeping the RPCI community informed about work in other divisions and providing a forum for inquiry, recognition, and camaraderie. The meetings reinforce the collaborative spirit at RPCI, supporting one mission that promotes innovation and progress.

RPCI is a public benefit corporation, a distinction that confers the double benefit of administrative autonomy and substantial financial support from New York State. All space, personnel, and funding decisions rest with the President and CEO and the RPCI Board of Directors to whom department chairs have direct access, accelerating the conversion of ideas into action. RPCI encourages new ideas, and its strategic plan is designed to support their fulfillment. Among other advantages:

• RPCI provides competitive startup packages for research and highly competitive pricing for shared research facilities.
• The Technology Transfer Office is responsible for patents, trademarks, and copyrights and marketing of RPCI discoveries.
• RPCI partners with a number of regional economic-development organizations focused on commercializing cutting-edge life sciences research.

By sharing resources with other major institutions, RPCI has access to the best technology available for virtually any need. This benefits our patients as well as our research scientists.

• RPCI is a member of the Upstate New York Coalition for Biomedical Research (UNYCoR). Other coalition members include: the University of Rochester Medical Center, Cornell University, the SUNY Upstate Medical University, and the University at Buffalo. UNYCoR promotes greater researcher access to high-quality core resources and works to attract peer-reviewed funding for collaborative research.
• RPCI has access to the University at Buffalo supercomputing facilities — among the top 10 in the nation, with Dell, Linux, Sun, and SGI clusters. The Dell cluster alone is capable of delivering 5.9 teraflops at peak performance.
• RPCI is a founding member of the Regional Cancer Center Consortium for Biological Therapy of Cancer, bringing together cancer researchers from New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania who work in immunology and biological therapies.

The success of our mission is linked directly to the quality of our faculty. That’s why recruitment of the very best people is one of our highest priorities. Roswell Park Cancer Institute has recruited more than 130 top clinical and scientific faculty members in five years, and they, in turn, are attracting the best and brightest junior faculty and graduate students.

Together with partners in the Buffalo Niagara region, RPCI is building a global center of life sciences research and development. BuffLink, a private, nonprofit corporation, is a valuable resource for the team, nurturing new ventures by identifying critical support for startup and expansion. Drawing on the region’s expansive pool of expertise in science, business, and finance, RPCI is a catalyst for extraordinary growth and progress.