Download Regarding the Provocative Questions Workshop on Cancer Biology

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) along with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), US
is co-sponsoring a series of Provocative Questions workshops on Cancer Biology, in India:
October 27-29, 2014 in Delhi; October 30-November 1, 2014 in Bangalore; and November 35, 2014 in Trivandrum.
These workshops will include a select international delegation of cancer researchers along
with scientists from India who will try to identify questions that highlight important areas of
cancer research that are understudied or forgotten. The best of these questions are presented
to the research community as part of a Request for Applications (RFA) in which scientists
can apply for funding to answer some facet of the Provocative Question. For more
information, visit https://provocativequestions.nci.nih.gov/.
The Indian workshops' activities will seek to develop a set of questions from which one or
more RFAs jointly sponsored by NCI and DBT may emerge.
To stimulate wider participation in the Provocative Questions Initiative (PQI), the scientific
community was invited to pose questions on our understanding of cancer and cancer control,
address broad issues in biology of cancer that have proven difficult to resolve, take into
consideration the likelihood of progress in the foreseeable future (e.g. 5 to 10 years), and
address ways to overcome obstacles to achieving long-term goals. We received a good
response through that process. The process is now culminating into PQ workshops to talk
about such questions through personal dialogue within the cancer research community.
Some FAQs regarding PQ on cancer in Indian context are given below:
1. What is PQ Workshop (PQW)?
In conjunction with the NCI, the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science
and Technology is sponsoring three Provocative Question Workshops (PQW) in
India: October 27-29, 2014 in Delhi; October 30-November 1, 2014 in Bangalore; and
November 3-5, 2014 in Trivandrum. The literal meaning of PQ is to pose questions
that are provocative and need to be answered. PQW will identify questions that
highlight areas of cancer research that are understudied or forgotten and try to work
on them based on current technology/research tools.
2. PQ and India?
Despite several specific advances in understanding of different cancers and cancer
control, a multi-pronged plan of action is required to address broader issues in biology
of cancer that have proven difficult to resolve and address ways to overcome
obstacles to achieving long-term goals. Indian scientific community has been
researching on cancer for the last two decades with good publication and relevant
scientific pool. It’s time to identify the PQ related to India-specific cancers using
processes that are scientifically more challenging all over the globe.
3. Why NCI & DBT?
The collaborative process of formulating the provocative questions in cancer has been
experimented upon by the NCI- NIH; it resulted into identifying many crucial
questions that resulted into invited research proposals. It is now aimed to engage the
NCI’s scientific community in serious debate with Indian cancer researchers and
energize them & other constituencies (advocacy groups, health professionals,
Members of Congress, and others) about the prospects for improving the welfare of
cancer patients through research. Other constituencies are encouraged to take part in
the "Provocative Questions" enterprise through discussions and activities.
The format of PQW would include a select international delegation of cancer
researchers along with scientists from India suggesting and discussing Provocative
Questions in style to the ongoing research planning effort being led by the NCI. For
the last three years NCI has led an effort to identify questions that highlight important
areas of cancer research that are understudied or forgotten.
4. Why Now?
The recent technological advances worldwide, in various area of cancer especially
genomics, molecular biology, and computational sciences has opened fresh avenues
for research. Humungous transformation has been achieved in the basic knowledge
about the genetic and biochemical aspects of cancer research by which they arise.
Now there is an opportunity for us to take a step back from the momentum of these
discoveries and make sure we have left no stone unturned and no important but
perhaps non-obvious question left unexplored.
5. Is there a need for PQW for Indian Cancer Researchers?
DBT has been funding Cancer Research along with other funding departments for
over two decades now. Several specific calls for proposals have been issued, however
there are many grey areas including in India specific cancers that need special
attention by the research community to provide better diagnosis, preventive strategies,
therapeutics and palliative care. Hence PQW is timely and appropriate.
6. Expected Outcome of PQ Workshop?
The best of these questions will be presented to the research community as part of a
Request for Applications (RFA) in which scientists can apply for funding to answer
some facet of the Provocative Question. The Indian workshops' activities will seek to
develop a set of questions from which the best will be offered for one or more RFAs
sponsored by various groups within the Indian government and the NCI.