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National Institutes of Health
Table Of Contents
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the government-sponsored agency for health research and development of medical technology. As the world’s largest source of funding for medical research, the NIH has become a leader for conducting mesothelioma clinical trials.
Written by Tim Povtak | Edited By Walter Pacheco | Last Update: July 3, 2024
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Written by Tim Povtak | Edited By Walter Pacheco | Last Update: July 3, 2024
About the National Institutes of Health
Founded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NIH consists of 27 institutes. The National Cancer Institute conducts most of its mesothelioma research.
More than 80% of their budget is distributed to university research labs. The NIH also maintains its own laboratories. They include the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, which is the largest clinical research hospital in the world.
Clinical Trials at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
The main focus of the NIH Clinical Center is the clinical trials program at the Center for Cancer Research (CCR). At any given time, the National Institutes of Health’s CRR operates more than 150 cancer-focused clinical trials.
Currently, eight clinical trials are in process at the facility. Clinical trials help researchers understand the way that mesothelioma responds to treatment. They provide patients access to emerging therapies.
These clinical trials provide treatment at no cost. The NIH can cover transportation costs after acceptance into the program. Patients from anywhere in the world may be accepted if they qualify. Mesothelioma patients may also be eligible for financial aid to cover medical expenses.
Recent Mesothelioma Studies Conducted by the National Institutes of Health
In the 2010 fiscal year, the NIH granted more than $7,914,000 to 16 mesothelioma research projects. Five of these projects were conducted at the National Cancer Institute. Others were led by top mesothelioma researchers at NCI-designated research laboratories.
Some of the topics studied included:
- Immunotherapy for malignant mesothelioma
- Mesothelin as a mesothelioma biomarker
- Targeted radiotherapy for mesothelioma
- Mesothelioma pathogenesis
- Prognostic and diagnostic mesothelioma tests
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Get Yours NowStudies from the 2009 fiscal year received $11,637,205 in NIH funding. They included the development of mesothelioma tumors and clinical trials. They trials looked at immunotoxins and computerized analysis of mesothelioma CT scans.
Mesothelioma specialists work at NIH-designated cancer centers. Many work at other care facilities throughout the U.S. Our Doctor Match Program helps patients find the right mesothelioma specialist for them.
NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers:
- Abramson Cancer Center: University of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, PA
- Arizona Cancer Center: University of Arizona; Tuscon, AZ
- The Cancer Institute of New Jersey: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; New Brunswick, NJ
- Case Comprehensive Cancer Center: Case Western Reserve University; Cleveland, OH
- Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: University of California at Irvine; Orange, CA
- City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center: Duarte, CA
- Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center: Harvard Medical School; Boston, MA
- Duke Cancer Institute: Duke University Medical Center; Durham, NC
- Fox Chase Cancer Center: Philadelphia, PA
- Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center; Seattle, WA
- Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center: Washington, DC
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center: The University of Iowa; Iowa City, IA
- Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center: College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University; New York, NY
- Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center: University of California at Los Angeles
- The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
- Wayne State University School of Medicine; Detroit, MI
- Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Northwestern University; Chicago, IL
- MD Anderson Cancer Center
- University of Texas; Houston, TX
- Masonic Cancer Center
- at the University of Minnesota; Minneapolis, MN
- Mayo Clinic Cancer Center: Mayo Clinic Rochester; Rochester, MN
- H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center at the University of South Florida; Tampa, FL
- Moores Cancer Center
- University of California, San Diego; La Jolla, CA
- Norris Cotton Cancer Center: Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Lebanon, NH
- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
- The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center; Columbus, OH
- Roswell Park Cancer Institute
- Buffalo, NY
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
- Memphis, TN
- Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center
- at Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD
- Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center
- Washington University School of Medicine; St. Louis, MO
- University of Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Center: Birmingham, AL
- UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: University of California San Francisco
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center: Chicago, IL
- University of Colorado Cancer Center: University of Colorado at Denver & Health Sciences Center; Aurora, CO
- University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center: Ann Arbor, MI
- University of Pittsburgh Cancer Centers: University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute; Pittsburgh, PA
- USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center: University of Southern California; Los Angeles, CA
- UW Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center: University of Wisconsin; Madison, WI
- Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center: Vanderbilt University; Nashville, TN
- Wake Forest Comprehensive Cancer Center: Wake Forest University; Winston-Salem, NC
- Yale Cancer Center: Yale University School of Medicine; New Haven, CT
These cancer centers offer multidisciplinary care from a wide range of specialists. Treating mesothelioma with several therapies improves the chances of long-term survival. It also helps control cancer symptoms and often improves the patient’s quality of life.
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