[Ip-health] Gotham prize to encourage openness and collaboration in cancer research

[James Packard Love]

*In spite of the billions of dollars that have been invested in
cancer research, many promising research ideas do not receive support
- either because they go against the mainstream, because of a lack of
funding to test ideas, or because preliminary research isn't shared
for competitive reasons.

* The Gotham Prize provides a real incentive by rewarding collaboration,

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/5/prweb528415.htm

2007-05-23

$1 Million Gotham Prize Launched by Leading Scientists, Hedge Fund
Managers to Encourage Innovation in Cancer Research

Provides incentive to accelerate progress in the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of cancer by encouraging collaboration among
leading medical researchers

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 23, 2007 -- A group of leading scientists
and hedge fund managers today announced the creation of the "Gotham
Prize for Cancer Research" (Gotham Prize), an annual award designed
to encourage new and innovative approaches to cancer research by
fostering collaboration among top thinkers in the field. The Prize
was announced at the annual Ira Sohn Investment Research Conference,
a charity event that brings together a group of nationally recognized
investors who share their investment insights to raise money for
cancer research. The winner of the $1 million Gotham Prize, as well
as an additional prize - the $250,000 Ira Sohn Conference Foundation
Prize in Pediatric Oncology - will be selected by a distinguished
panel of leading scientists from institutions including Harvard,
Johns Hopkins and New York University. Details on the Prize can be
found at www.gothamprize.org.

In spite of the billions of dollars that have been invested in cancer
research, many promising research ideas do not receive support -
either because they go against the mainstream, because of a lack of
funding to test ideas, or because preliminary research isn't shared
for competitive reasons. The Gotham Prize will address these gaps by
bringing together the top minds in the field to encourage accelerated
progress in the prevention, etiology, diagnosis and treatment of
cancer. The winner of the Prize will receive $1 million for personal
use, while the Gotham Prize website will serve as an ongoing forum
for cancer researchers to test and exchange ideas. The website will
also provide a mechanism to connect scientists with other potential
sources of funding from foundations and individuals.

The Gotham Prize was founded by hedge fund managers Joel Greenblatt
and Robert Goldstein of private investment firm Gotham Capital, and
respected medical researcher Dr. Gary Curhan of Harvard Medical
School, with support from the Ira Sohn Conference Foundation and Ephi
Gildor of Axiom Investment Advisors. Inspired by the memory of
Goldstein's mother, Hope Goldstein, who passed away recently from
ovarian cancer, the founders sought a new way to make progress in
cancer research. The Gotham Prize website is modeled on the Value
Investors Club, an online investment club founded by the partners of
Gotham Capital where top investors share their best ideas.

"I have seen firsthand how many ideas with incredible potential never
reach fruition," said Dr. Curhan. "We will only make significant
progress in cancer research by learning from each other's successes
and mistakes, and by building on each other's knowledge. Through the
Gotham Prize website, we will bring together the best and brightest
minds in the field to share ideas and inspire new approaches."

"The Gotham Prize provides a real incentive by rewarding
collaboration," said Greenblatt. "We hope that encouraging this
marketplace of ideas will lead to breakthrough innovations in cancer
research."

The Gotham Prize Advisory Board, which will select the winners of the
prizes, includes such distinguished scientists as Dr. Bert Vogelstein
of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who was the first to elucidate
the molecular basis of a common human cancer and is currently the
most highly cited scientist in the world, and Dr. Meir Stampfer of
Harvard Medical School, the most highly cited scientist in clinical
medicine over the past two decades.

The Ira Sohn Research Conference Foundation, founded in 1995 in honor
of Ira Sohn, a successful Wall Street trader who died of cancer at
the age of 29, is providing support for the Gotham Prize website, as
well as for both of the prizes. The annual Ira Sohn Research
Conference raises funds for the care and treatment of children with
pediatric cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.

"We are honored to continue Ira Sohn's legacy by supporting pediatric
cancer research through the Ira Sohn Conference Foundation Prize in
Pediatric Oncology," said Dan Nir, head of the Ira Sohn Conference
Foundation. "Ira was passionate about helping children affected by
cancer, and I know he would be pleased that we are contributing to
this effort to encourage and support groundbreaking research."

The $1 million annual prize will be open to a group of pre-qualified
members who will share their ideas and concepts by posting a short
thesis and/or proposal and answering questions on the Gotham Prize
website. The Advisory Board will select the members from applications
submitted through the website. Member postings will be anonymous
(except to the Board) and will only be made known through voluntary
disclosure. Each year, the member that submits the best idea in the
area of cancer research, as judged by the Advisory Board, will
receive $1 million for personal use. The Ira Sohn Conference
Foundation Prize will also be awarded annually for the best idea
related to pediatric cancer.

Applicants will be judged on the importance and description of the
idea, as well as the feasibility of studying it. Furthermore, to be
eligible to win the Prize, members must post and answer questions on
the website and will be judged on the message string that starts
among members of the site after an idea is posted.

The Gotham Prize website will also serve as an ongoing forum for
cancer researchers to exchange ideas, as well as to connect with
potential sources of funding. All member ideas submitted for the
Prize will also be made available to all foundations, individuals and
groups that fund cancer research. With prior permission, members will
also be matched with other scientists who may be able to assist or
collaborate on individual projects.

The Prize was founded as a new way to encourage new innovations in
cancer research by addressing some of the obstacles that currently
exist. Apart from funding constraints, research that is not in the
mainstream or that flies in the face of currently accepted theories
may not be supported or accepted for publication, while - for
competitive reasons - preliminary research and ideas are often not
widely shared. Furthermore, scientists and researchers who do not fit
a specialized profile are unlikely to be funded to pursue new
theories or innovative avenues. In addition, many grants from
foundations or individuals support general research, rather than
specific projects.

The Advisory Board members are: Dr. Curhan, an Associate Professor of
Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Associate Professor of
Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health; Dr. Vogelstein, a
Professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Dr. Stampfer, a
Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of
Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, where he served as
department chair; Dr. George Teebor, a Professor at New York
University School of Medicine; Dr. Joseph R. Bertino, Interim
Director of the New Jersey Cancer Center and University Professor of
Medicine and Pharmacology at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson; Dr. Michael
Kastan, Director of the Cancer Center at St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital in Memphis, Tenessee, and Director of the Molecular
Therapeutics Division and Co-Director of the Molecular Oncology Program.

About the Gotham Prize:
The annual $1 million Gotham Prize for Cancer Research is being
established to encourage new and innovative approaches to cancer
research by fostering collaboration among top thinkers in the field.
An additional prize of $250,000, the Ira Sohn Conference Foundation
Prize in Pediatric Oncology, will also be awarded. In addition to
providing these annual prizes, the Gotham Prize website will provide
a forum to match cancer researchers with each other, as well as with
potential sources of funding. The 2007 Gotham Prizes will be
announced in February 2008.

For more information, please visit www.gothamprize.org

About The Ira Sohn Research Conference Foundation:
The Ira Sohn Research Conference was founded in 1995 after the
untimely passing of Ira Sohn, a successful trader on Wall Street.
After a valiant battle with cancer, Ira passed away at the age of 29.
His passion inspired his colleagues to launch the annual Ira Sohn
Research Conference to raise funds for the care and treatment of
children with pediatric cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
The organizations served include the Tomorrows Children's Fund at
Hackensack University Medical Center, New York Presbyterian
Hospital / Weill Cornell Medical Center, and ArtWorks.

Gotham Prize Advisory Board Members:
Joseph R. Bertino, MD, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr.
Bertino is the Interim Director of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey
and University Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson. Prior to his current position Dr. Bertino was Chairman
of the Program of Molecular Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Professor of Medicine and
Pharmacology at Cornell University Medical College. He spent many
years at Yale University both as a Professor, Chief of Oncology and
Chemotherapy and as the first Director of the Yale Comprehensive
Cancer Center. Dr. Bertino is the past President of AACR and ASCO.

Gary Curhan, MD, ScD, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gary Curhan is an
Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and
Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public
Health. He is a practicing nephrologist at Brigham and Women's
Hospital and an active investigator with multiple NIH grants. Dr.
Curhan's research has focused on metabolic conditions (e.g.
nephrolithiasis, gout), cardiovascular disease and cancer. He has
authored over 150 articles and book chapters.

Michael B. Kastan, MD, PhD, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Dr. Kastan is the Director of the Cancer Center at St. Jude
Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, Director of the
Molecular Therapeutics Division and Co-Director of the Molecular
Oncology Program.

Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Stampfer is a
Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Professor of
Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health, where he served as
department chair. He has authored over 800 articles and book
chapters, and was identified as the most highly cited scientist in
clinical medicine over the past two decades. He is an active
investigator with multiple NIH grants, and his research has focused
on cardiovascular disease and cancer.

George W. Teebor, MD, New York University School of Medicine. Dr.
Teebor is Professor of Pathology and Environmental Medicine at the
New York University School of Medicine where he has also served as
Vice Dean for Research and Interim Chairperson of the Department of
Pathology. He is a board certified pathologist and has been an NIH
funded investigator for over 30 years including receipt of a MERIT
Award. His research interest has been the etiology of cancer-
initiating and/or promoting mutations and their prevention by the DNA
repair machinery of the cell.

Bert Vogelstein, MD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Vogelstein
was the first to elucidate the molecular basis of a common human
cancer. His work on colorectal cancers forms the paradigm for much of
modern cancer research, with profound implications for diagnostic and
therapeutic strategies in the future. According to the Institute for
Scientific Information, Dr. Vogelstein is currently the most highly
cited scientist in the world.

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Gotham Prize for Cancer Research
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James Packard Love
Knowledge Ecology International
mailto:james.love@keionline.org
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / U.S. mobile+1.202.361.3040, Geneva mobile
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"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks." Bill Walton"