A Global Quest For Understanding Cancer Signal In Blood

Essential for Success: Communication and Collegial Support

In addition to the complexity of scientific collaboration across five countries, working with individuals from many disciplines beyond medical science – including lawyers, regulatory experts, finance professionals, and marketing teams – means hearing many different languages. “In a situation like this, it is very important to listen closely and ask for clarification in order to have effective communication,” said Hsing.

Institutional support, from the beginning, is essential to success. Hsing acknowledged the support of her chief, without which, she said, it would not have been possible to reach the negotiation finish line.

“Dr. Hsing is gifted in her ability to build a team that is united in a common purpose. She has incredible determination and persistence. My role was simple to remove barriers and cheer her on,” said David Maron, MD, chief of the Stanford Prevention Research Center (SPRC).

A Team for the Long Haul

Any large, long-term project is built by teams, and trust and emotional support are the mortar that hold the bricks together. “You need to tap into your network to navigate through the process and through times when you might get discouraged,” Hsing said. She extends her gratitude to all the co-investigators (see table at end) and her colleagues at SPRC, especially: Drs. Maron, Jodi Prochaska, and Christopher Gardner; Drs. PJ Utz and Mike Helms from the Team Science program; Senior Associate Dean for Research Ruth O’Hara; and Deputy Chief Information Officer Michael Halaas.

Sunita Rajdev and Roxana Malene in the Contracts Office provided “an amazing effort,” according to Hsing. She also cites Holly Osborne and Becky Earl in the Research Management Group, who “spent countless hours collaborating with me on the budget and budget justifications.” All in all, Hsing’s team worked on the scientific proposal, common protocol, survey, IRB protocol, and the contract finalization for 24 months, from inception to signing.

“Most cancers, especially gastrointestinal cancers, are diagnosed late, with a high fatality, so early cancer diagnosis and treatment form the basis for cure in patients with this disease,” said Andrew Adjei, PhD, who leads the team in Ghana. “INTERCEPT is a landmark study that will set the stage for unveiling hidden biomarkers that herald the onset or the presence of these cancers in the early stages. Risk factors that are particular to different geographical regions will be identified. The University of Ghana is privileged to be part of this international consortium targeting early cancer detection and improving cancer prevention.”

Having the biobank and database housed at Stanford means these resources will be available to scientists at Stanford, consortium investigators, and its collaborators, providing opportunities for future research.

For more information or questions about INTERCEPT, contact interceptstudy@stanford.edu.