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A big step towards customized cancer therapy

The Federal Government and the State of Baden-Württemberg are going to finance the extension of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg to create a center of excellence for individualized cancer medicine. This was announced by Prof. Johanna Wanka, Federal Minister for Culture and Research, and Theresia Bauer, Minister for Science, Research and the Arts in Baden-Württemberg, at the festivities marking the 50th anniversary of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) on 31 October 2014.

“The future of the NCT lies in being able to offer every patient a customized therapy. That is the central element of individualized medicine, which the Federal Government is going to reinforce with its own targeted action plan", said Prof. Johanna Wanka and continued: "The Federal Government will provide the additional means over the long term to help the NCT meet this goal and develop into one of the leading centers for individualized cancer research in Europe and the world.”

Together the Federal Government and the State of Baden-Württemberg are financing the extension according to the Helmholz key at a ratio of 90:10 by increasing the DKFZ budget: beginning in 2015 by five million Euros a year and increasing annually until the full funding of 25 million Euros is reached. In addition to this, the State of Baden-Württemberg is providing 20 million for extension of the DKFZ building.
"Expansion to NCT 3.0 will strengthen Heidelberg's position amongst the world's top centers for cancer research and medicine with new possibilities for discovering the genetic origins of cancer as well as for developing novel targeted treatments for the patients", said Minister Theresia Bauer.

NCT Heidelberg was founded in 2004 by the DKFZ, Heidelberg University Hospital and German Cancer Aid. Its interdisciplinary tumor outpatient clinic is the central entry portal for all Heidelberg cancer patients. At the NCT the participating partners implement a combination of biological tumor research and innovative cancer medicine.
"The NCT's concept has proven extremely successful: several international expert reports have attested to its extraordinary successes and it is considered the leading comprehensive cancer center in Europe. The NCT already occupies a pioneering international position in molecular tumor analysis. The great response is evident in the 50 000 patient contacts per year, which represents more than full capacity for the NCT building. Initially only 3000 newly diagnosed cancer patients came to the NCT per year, whereas by 2013 this number was more than 12 000. The molecular tumor analysis section has also reached the limit of its capacity.

"Cure rates for cancer are at 50 to 60 percent today", said Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Otmar D. Wiestler, Chairman of the DKFZ. "In advanced stages of cancer, however, we are hardly able to offer the patient any effective treatments. Only a comprehensive analysis of the individual tumor tissue will allow us to discover characteristic cancer cell structures which we can attack with modern drugs. In an expanded "NCT 3.0" many more patients will be able to benefit from this pioneering technology."

"We are exceptionally grateful to the Federal Government and the State for this generosity", said Prof. Josef Puchta, the DKFZ's Commercial Director. "We have already begun planning the extension with our architects, so that construction can begin as soon as possible."