National Cancer Institute's Application Among the Best at Research Council of Lithuania

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), in collaboration with partners from Oslo University Hospital's Comprehensive Cancer Center (OUS CCC) and Vilnius University (VU) are developing a Competence Center – the Comprehensive Cancer Research Center. Their application has been selected among the top 11 projects submitted for evaluation by the Lithuanian Science Council.

According to the Director of the National Cancer Institute, Associate Professor Dr. Valdas Pečeliūnas, the primary goal of the Competence Center – Comprehensive Cancer Research Center is to develop new health technologies for cancer patients. “Today, progress in oncology clinics is unimaginable without the rapid implementation of scientific advancements into practice. New materials, technological processes, information technologies – artificial intelligence – all these will improve cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment. The results of innovative, qualitatively new scientific activities, I am confident, will provide opportunities to develop personalized medicine services, improve the quality of life of cancer patients, and enhance monitoring algorithms. Unfortunately, we are still lagging behind the EU average in cancer morbidity and mortality rates,” says Prof Phd Valdas Pečeliūnas.

The Comprehensive Cancer Research Center will focus on four main scientific activities: robotic technologies for precision tumour surgery, advanced photonics, nanomedicine and artificial intelligence technologies for early tumour theragnostic and prognosis, innovative cell technologies for personalized therapy, and next-generation radiotherapy for precise and sparing treatment.

The Competence Center will bring together an interdisciplinary team of specialists – biologists, immunologists, biophysicists, geneticists, medical physicists, and doctors – to conduct high-level international applied research in precision oncology and integrate advanced cancer research results into clinical practice as quickly as possible.

The National Cancer Institute and partners already are conducting advanced scientific research and participating in clinical trials conducted by EU and three EEA countries. The unification of forces in creating the Comprehensive Cancer Research Center will allow focusing the potential of existing scientists and doctors on the development of new health technologies, devices, therapeutic methods, and theragnostic materials in oncology. Collaboration with commercial enterprises for the transfer of developed technologies into pilot production is planned. The acquired knowledge will be disseminated not only at scientific conferences but also at events for the general public.

The international partner of the planned Competence Center – Oslo University Hospital (OUS) (https://www.ous-research.no/ous-ccc) is a foreign public legal entity that has had Comprehensive Cancer Center accreditation since 2017.

In addition to healthcare services (more than 30,000 patients per year), OUS actively conducts scientific and experimental activities related to teaching and studies. The center has dedicated units for the commercialization and patenting of clinical research results, innovations, and scientific discoveries. The OUS Comprehensive Cancer Center aims to be a leading institution in Europe in the fight against cancer and cancer research and to serve as a center for competence development and transfer in the Nordic countries and Europe.

"The selection of the three best applications is in the finalization stage.