Newswise — Clinical trials are the frontier for targeted cancer drugs. Roswell Park Cancer Institute recently opened one of only a few clinical research centers in the U.S. focused exclusively on cancer. The Clinical Research Center, under the direction of Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, the Katherine Anne Gioia Chair in Cancer Medicine, will accelerate the development of new and promising cancer therapies and expand treatment options for patients at Roswell Park and elsewhere. Dr. Adjei is a distinguished national leader in translational research, drug development, thoracic oncology and phase I clinical research programs.

Dr. Adjei can discuss how clinical trials are rapidly advancing the development of novel therapies for lung cancer and other difficult-to-treat cancers. In the clinic, Dr. Adjei's work focuses on assessing the toxicity, pharmacology and initial activity of novel agents for the therapy of solid tumors and developing biomarkers of drug effects. His laboratory studies focus on identifying mechanisms of action and resistance of novel agents that inhibit cell signaling.

Dr. Adjei also is Co-Director of the Stacey Scott Lung Cancer Registry, an international collaboration of 11 leading research institutions, coordinated by Roswell Park. Shared information from these centers is concentrated in one database to facilitate research into the characteristics and progression of lung cancer.

Dr. Adjei offers his expertise to many professional cancer organizations, including the American Association for Cancer Research (Chair, Minorities in Cancer Research Council; Co-Chair, 2005 and 2007 Annual Meetings) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (Member, Program Committee; Member, Translational Research Task Force). For the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Adjei serves as Co-Chair, Clinical Trials Task Force of Investigational Drug Steering Committee and Chair, NIH Study Section: National Center for Research Resources and the Clinical Research Review Committee. As a member of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group, Dr. Adjei has served as Group Vice Chair and is Chair, Lung Cancer Committee.

Dr Adjei also serves as Senior Editor of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics and Medical Oncology, Section Editor of Cancer, Associate Editor of Investigational New Drugs, Current Cancer Drug Targets, American Journal of Clinical Oncology and Editorial Board member of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, International Journal of Cancer, Update on Cancer Therapeutics, Clinical Lung Cancer, Current Cancer Therapy Reviews, Medicinal Chemistry Reviews, and Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology. Dr. Adjei has authored or co-authored more than 260 journal articles, abstracts and book chapters.