The circle of innovation in cancer research at Roswell Park
Roswell Park is igniting new passion toward our goal of eradicating cancer
At Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, we are on the cusp of breakthrough discoveries as we explore the most promising new treatment approaches. The benefits for patients — through both clinical outcomes and improved quality of life — are enormous.
We link breakthrough research and clinical trials with advanced clinical care and technologies, resulting in the best possible outcomes for people fighting cancer.
A circular image that shows seven different steps. Title: The Circle of Innovation at Roswell Park. 1.) Training the next generation of cancer researchers and clinicians 2.) Basic science discoveries 3.) Translating science into clinical trials 4.) Drug development 5.) Phase I clinical trials 6.) Phase II and III clinical trials 7.) FDA approval and delivery to patients. In the center is an image connecting the Roswell Park Molecular Tumor Board with the cancer patient and their caregivers, which highlights three things: molecular testing, precision medicine, and biomarker discovery.
CAR T-cell pioneer — Marco Davila, MD, PhD
"We want to cure more cancers. It's what we're committed to at Roswell Park and this is why I'm here.”
While completing residency and a fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, Dr. Davila served as a clinical fellow on the team of Deputy Director at Roswell Park, Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD. The pair worked closely to develop some of the first CAR T-cell therapies for patients with blood cancers. Their work led to a groundbreaking trial for patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and discoveries that paved the way for the first FDA approvals for CAR T-cell therapies for cancer in 2017.
Expert researchers
We attract expert scientists and physicians at the forefront of cancer research and treatment programs — giving our patients the best care.
Learn moreInnovative treatments
Our translational research model speeds the progress of promising ideas from one phase of research to the next — from basic laboratory research to clinical trials that accelerate new treatments to the patients who need them.
Learn moreEffective partnerships
We have strategic partnerships with investigators, centers and commercial collaborators around the world.
Learn moreCancer research matters
By making new discoveries about cancer every day — how it grows, how to detect it, how to stop it — and using these discoveries to set the global standards for how to treat it, we not only save the lives of patients who walk through our doors — we help to save lives across the world. Cancer is our only focus. Roswell Park research matters.
Get an inside look at the future of cancer in this video.
Clinical trials lead to better patient outcomes
Our patients have a dedicated, multidisciplinary team that includes an array of clinical and supportive care experts who work together on the patient’s personalized care plan. Patients also feel the impact of what is known as “clinical trial bias.” Evidence shows that patients participating in a trial – and who have additional specialists and clinical research coordinators taking care of them throughout the trial – fare better overall. This extra attention and expertise leads to better patient outcomes.
You can fuel groundbreaking cancer research and clinical trials like these by donating to Roswell Park.
Roswell Park has one of the most established and most ambitious clinical trial programs in oncology, with more than 400 studies available to patients across every cancer type and disease site.
Our clinical trials extend across New York state and in Pennsylvania through our Care Network. From early-phase trials exploring new treatments to extensive studies that may pave the way to drug approvals, these investigations explore new therapies, treatment combinations, and approaches for optimizing care — extending cancer remission and improving quality of life for our patients.
Roswell Park was the nation's first cancer institute
Roswell Park was one of the first institutions in the nation to be recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a comprehensive cancer center. That means we provide expert cancer care and conduct top-tier research aimed at finding ways to prevent and cure cancer.
Roswell Park sets itself apart as a leader in transplant and cellular therapies, personalized medicine, cancer vaccines, immunotherapy and robotic surgery.
The NCI has continuously designated Roswell Park as a comprehensive cancer center for more than four decades, placing it among the top cancer centers around the globe. The designation authenticates Roswell Park’s world-class cancer research, education and clinical care programs.
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Our history
Founded in 1898, Roswell Park was the first institution in the world to focus exclusively on cancer research. Eminent surgeon Dr. Roswell Park sought to create a powerful force against cancer by bringing together the knowledge and skills of pathologists, chemists, biologists, surgeons, and other experts — all in one center. That vision has fueled more than a century’s worth of medical discoveries and breakthroughs.