CureSearch Industry Advisory Council member Davy Chiodin on why Acerta Pharma supports childhood cancer research
Acerta Pharma, AstraZeneca’s Hematology Center of Excellence, is committed to advancing the science of technology to deliver life-changing medicines to patients most in need, and we’re proud to call them a strategic partner. Learn more from Davy Chiodin, PharmD, CureSearch industry advisory council member and vice president – regulatory science, quality assurance and compliance at Acerta Pharma.
Tell us about Acerta/AstraZeneca and its connection to childhood cancer/research.
Acerta Pharma is AstraZeneca’s Hematology Center of Excellence, an integral part of AstraZeneca’s oncology portfolio and cornerstone of the Company’s dedication to fight cancer, both in children and adults.
The AstraZeneca group is increasing its efforts to change the way pediatric drug development is approached internally, and is actively engaging with external stakeholders to contribute in the development of potentially important drugs to pediatric patients.
Blood cancers being the most common cancers in children, pediatric research is close to Acerta’s heart, as AZ’s Hematology Center of Excellence.
What is Acerta/AstraZeneca’s mission?
AstraZeneca and Acerta, are committed to advancing the science of oncology to deliver life-changing medicines to patients most in need. AstraZeneca put in place a combination-focused pipeline with an aim to help address unmet clinical needs in a host of cancers. We are motivated by a dedication to the scientific discovery and collaboration that will one day help eliminate cancer as a cause of death.
Why do you and/or Acerta/AstraZeneca support CureSearch and our mission to end children’s cancer?
CureSearch provides Industry, academia, patients advocates and regulators a true opportunity for connection, as well as an effective platform to review and fund some important research proposals. This chance to have all players at the same table is crucial to advancing the field.
Why is children’s cancer research important to you?
Children’s cancer research faces different problematics than adult’s. It is important to raise and address those differences, so that ultimately, no family ever have to face the loss of a child.
What is your hope for the future of childhood cancer?
My hope is that all the parties involved in getting drugs to pediatric patients can work pre-competitively to generate the data that matters, and advance the field together. This way we might be able to talk about childhood cancer as a thing of the past. That’s the real goal.
What else would you like the public to know about you or your work with CureSearch?
One can argue that, in years of life lost, childhood cancer is more impactful than lung cancer, one of the most common adult cancers out there. Folks involved in the fight against childhood cancer are truly passionate about ending it, and we’ll welcome any opportunity to chat, educate, collaborate, through CureSearch and beyond!
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