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John D. Roberts, M.D., is associate director for clinical research at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center. Also a professor of internal medicine and hematology, oncology and palliative care at the VCU School of Medicine, Roberts is an expert in the treatment of melanoma and urological cancers. His research focuses on the development of new agents and treatments for fighting cancer. He oversees more than 100 cancer clinical trials at VCU Massey. Respond and Donate

Dr. Brock’s research has focused primarily on developing and clinically applying molecular biomarkers, namely DNA methylation, to facilitate the early detection, accurate prognosis and specific chemosensitivity of lung and esophageal cancers. Current projects include using DNA methylation as a more accurate molecular indicator of lymph micrometases in a large cohort of lung cancer patients and as a means of predicting sensitivity of esophageal cancer to neoadjuvant chemotherapy based on endoscopic biopsy samples. Dr. Brock actively collaborates with Drs. Stephen Baylin and James Herman in the Division of Tumor Biology in the Cancer Center. Recently, Dr. Brock has received NIH funding to investigate the rising incidence of lung cancer in HIV patients and has begun both a clinical study and a tumor-profiling project in this regard. Finally, the Brock laboratory has developed large relational databases of lung and esophageal patients with matching biological samples to validate biomarker discovery. Respond and Donate

Chris Draft leads Team Draft to meet with Pasi Janne, MD,PhD at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston to support lung cancer research.

Associated with the world-renowned Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Pasi A. Janne, MD, PhD, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania – School of Medicine in Philadelphia. Upon earning his medical degree from this prestigious institution, Janne completed a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and earned a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Dana Farber. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and works in the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Respond and Donate

From Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s YouTube Channel

Former NFL linebacker Chris Draft’s foundation, Team Draft, has teamed up with the National Lung Cancer Partnership to help fight the stigma of lung cancer and promote research to find new treatments. Chris Draft stopped by Dana-Farber to meet with Pasi Janne, MD,PhD, a thoracic oncologist and one of the scientific directors of the Belfer Institute for Applied Cancer Science, to learn more about the lung cancer research being done at Dana-Farber. Respond and  Donate

Dr. Sequist and her colleagues at MGH have been at the forefront of research in EGFR mutations: her group was among the first to identify activating mutations and observe the correlation with response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), and they continue to do much of the leading clinical research on acquired resistance — the development of progression after an initial good response — and potential mechanisms for reversing this.

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Dr. Chachoua started the multidisciplinary lung conference which now meets weekly, where all patients are discussed and management decisions are made based on the input of experts from multiple fields including surgery, radiation oncology, pulmonary and radiology. Respond and Donate

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of 11 agencies that compose the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The NCI, established under the National Cancer Institute Act of 1937, is the Federal Government’s principal agency for cancer research and training. The National Cancer Act of 1971 broadened the scope and responsibilities of the NCI and created the National Cancer Program. Over the years, legislative amendments have maintained the NCI authorities and responsibilities and added new information dissemination mandates as well as a requirement to assess the incorporation of state-of-the-art cancer treatments into clinical practice.

The National Cancer Institute coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients. Respond and Donate

UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center was established in 1975 with Joseph S. Pagano, Professor of Medicine and Microbiology at the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine, as its founding Director. It was named after the Lineberger family of Belmont, North Carolina whose Lineberger Foundation provided the core funding for the Center’s first dedicated research building, which was completed in 1984. The Center’s clinical base, North Carolina Cancer Hospital, was completed in 2009. In the summer of 2007, the North Carolina General Assembly established the University Cancer Research Fund (UCRF) to support cancer research at UNC Lineberger and the North Carolina Cancer Hospital with annual funding of $50 million

Today, Team Draft visited the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson), one of the oldest and most respected cancer centers in the country.  Team Draft toured MD Anderson–the largest free-standing cancer center in the world–and had the opportunity to sit down with hospital administrators, doctors, and staff to discuss the great strides MD Anderson is making in developing cutting-edge treatment procedures for lung cancer patients.

MD Anderson and the other members of the 14-hospital Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC) are revolutionizing the way lung cancer is treated by promoting molecular tumor mutation testing for lung cancer patients.  Molecular testing is one of the keys to developing effective personalized lung cancer treatments. The LCMC cancer centers have facilitated targeted treatments for hundreds of patients, through innovative, genetically driven clinical trials as well as commercially available therapies.

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Dr. Ignacio Wistuba, Pathologist, MD Anderson from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Today, Team Draft traveled to Dallas to visit the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern (Simmons).  Long recognized as one of the nation’s top research facilities, Simmons is also one of the premier cancer treatment facilities in the country.  And at Simmons, patient care is a team effort.

The secret to Simmons’ success, is its nationally-recognized Supportive Care Program.  The Program employs a collaborative approach to patient care involving a specially trained multidisciplinary team of cancer-specific psychologists, social workers, dietitians, chaplains, and behavioral scientists offering state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches tailored to the individual needs of patients and their families.

Simmons Cancer Center is committed to treating the whole person-not just the disease. The Supportive Care Program is evidence of that commitment.

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UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.