Minnesota Chemoprevention Consortium focuses on ways to prevent cancer
Scientists from throughout the state gathered today at The Hormel Institute to present projects and work together on furthering cancer prevention research as part of the Minnesota Chemopreventive Consortium.
Dr. Zigang Dong, Executive Director of The Hormel Institute, hosted the MC2 event that brought together researchers from The Hormel Institute; the University of Minnesota’s Masonic Cancer Center in Minneapolis; University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca; Mayo Clinic; and Hormel Foods Corp.
Minnesota Chemopreventive Consortium – just one of The Hormel Institute’s collaborative initiatives – focuses on exploring new collaborations that effectively integrate agriculture with medicine. The group meets three times a year to discuss projects and proposals for new investigations.
A big focus of The Hormel Institute’s research relates to investigating natural compounds or plant-based chemicals found in food that have anti-cancer qualities to help prevent or control cancer.
“Collaborations are key to ensuring progress continues to be made in the fight against cancer,” said Dr. Zigang Dong. “Research is the only answer to cancer, and, by working together, we will have better answers for preventing and controlling this devastating disease.”
Presentations given at today’s meeting covered several research projects and a clinical trial as well as shared information on the different aspects of transitioning discoveries from the lab to clinical studies.
The Hormel Institute
Started in 1942 by Jay C. Hormel, The Hormel Institute is comprised of a group of highly successful medical scientists who are focused on determining the basic molecular mechanisms of cancer development to develop new anti-cancer agents. This summer, The Hormel Institute will begin construction on a major expansion to about double its size, adding 20 state-of-the-art laboratories and better space for its International Center of Research Technology. Up to 120 new faculty and staff jobs will be added in the coming years, growing The Hormel Institute to about 250 employees overall.