Minutes of the meeting Sunday March 25, 2001
(at AACR 2001)

Place: New Orleans Hilton Hotel, New Orleans, LA

Room: Magnolia . Time: 6:00 – 8:00

Present:

Dr. William Boadi (Tennessee State University/Ghana)
Dr. Funmi Olopade(University of Chicago/Nigeria)
Dr. Bernard Kurbi-Addo (Baylor College of Medicine/Ghana)
Dr. John Amartey (KFSH & RC Riyadh, Saudi Arabia/ Ghana)
Dr. Olubunmi Afonja (New York School of Medicine/ Nigeria)
Dr. Valerian Nakar (Kion Pharmaceutical and Yale University School of Medicine /? )
Dr. Samuel Evans Adunyah (Meharry Medical School/Ghana)
Dr. Johnny Easmon (Austria/Ghana)
Dr. Mohamed Athor (Meharry Medical/Algeria)
Dr. Fareed Arthur (Meharry Medical/Ghana)
Dr. Wole Odujinrin (Cell Therapeutics Inc., WA/Nigeria)
Dr. Brown Alice (Molecular New-Genetics Unit/USA)
Dr. Lewis Robert (Mayo Clinic/?)
Dr. Biodun Elegbede (Las Vegas/Nigeria)
Dr. Unyime Nseyo (Virginia Comm. University/Nigeria)
Dr. Kunt Sturmhoefel (EMD Pharmaceuticals/Germany)
Dr. Tilahun Jiffar (UT M.D. Anderson/?)
Dr. James Holland (Mount Sinai School of Medicine/USA)
Dr. Okot Nyormoi (M.D. Anderson/Uganda)
Dr. Deylosse Capo-Chichi (Fox Chase Cancer Center/?)
Dr. John K Buolamwini (Univ. of Tennessee/Ghana)
Dr. Sakina Eltom (Mehaarry medical School/Sudan)
Dr. Sandra Rayson (Allan Blair Cnacer Center/Jamaica)
Dr. Adewale Adeyinka (Y. of Winnipeg Canada/Nigeria)
Dr. Abdelfattah Nour (Purdue University/Sudan)
Dr. Rosebud Robert (Mayo Clinic/Ghana)
Dr. Agnes baffoe-Bonni (Fox Chase Cancer Center/Ghana)
Dr. Telih Boyiri (American Health foundation/?)
Dr. Sulma Mohammed (Purdue University/Sudan)
Dr. Chris Williams (BC Cancer Agency, Nanaimo,Canada/Nigeria

*(present residence_place of work/place of origin_place of birth)

Sections:

Meeting Agenda
Matters arising from the minutes of the San Francisco meeting
Finance
Other Matters

Meeting Agenda:

The meeting started with a welcome address from the Founding Secretary-General, Dr. Williams, who provided a background on the history of AORTIC and its future directions. Dr. Williams informed the meeting that upon a Web Page was in the process of creation for AORTIC. The minutes were accepted.

Matters arising from the minutes of the San Francisco meeting:

Drafting constitution: The members were informed that a constitution had been drafted and would soon be made available for their review, comments, and suggestions.

Incorporation of AORTIC. It was suggested that AORTIC should be incorporated in the US because that is where financial sponsorship is most likely to be available, but that the organization could be incorporated in addition in other countries. It was reported that international lawyers were evaluating the constitution.

Organizing an AORTIC meeting in Africa: The organization of an AORTIC meeting was discussed. Some logistical problems regarding the date had developed. Potential South African participants had requested a change of the meeting date However, the Kenyan local organizing committee had suggested moving the meeting date to 2002 instead of 2001. Dr. Durosinmi-Etti of Nigeria who had offered to hold the meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, on the condition that Kenya could not host it in 2001, failed to confirm his offer later.

The importance of South African participation in AORTIC activities was stressed.. Furthermore, it was agreed to postpone the AORTIC meeting in Africa so as to provide enough time for a new hosting country to organize the meeting. A suggestion was made to create a small committee for the meeting in Africa. The committee is expected to look into the feasibility of organizing the African meeting, develop a plan for it, and make recommendations on the date and place of the meeting. The committee will see to it that the AORTIC meeting in Africa be held sometime in 2002. Dr. Abdelfattah Nour indicated that it was already too late to organize a meeting in 2001 because it takes a long time to contact International Organizations for support.

It was suggested that since AORTIC already has a steering Committee, a separate small committee could be selected from the attendee who are physically here. The meeting decided by a carried motion to have a committee of five people consisting of the following volunteers:

North Africa Dr. Abdelfattah Nour
East Africa Dr. Okot Nyormoi
West Africa Dr. Samuel Adunyah
Central Africa Dr. Oscar Kashala
Southern Africa Dr. Daniel Vorobiof

The terms of reference for the committee include: 1. to look into the feasibility of organizing the AORTIC meeting in Africa in 2002; 2. develop a plan for it; 3. make recommendations on the date and place of the meeting. The committee will report its activities and recommendations to the Dr. Chris Williams, the Founding Secretary-General.

Dr. Williams recommended association with the following bodies with objectives that are similar to AORTIC’s:

The International Network for cancer treatment and research. (www.inctr.org)

Environment and health in Africa (www.enhica.net)

Finance:

The meeting recognized the sponsorship of a number of drug companies for its support of AORTIC activities since the inception of the reactivation process in April 2000. The companies include AstraZeneca, Amgen, Ortho-Biotech and EMD Pharmaceuticals (Darmstadt, Germany). The need for the members of AORTIC to support the organization financially was recognized. A motion was carried calling on AORTIC members to donate to the organization.

Other Matters:

Dr. Holland provided data in support of a hypothesis for a role of MMTV infection in human breast cancer pathogenesis. The transmission of the virus from mice to human is one of the theories being evaluated. There could be many potential collaborators that could be identified at the meeting in Africa. It was therefore suggested that a panel discussion be organized during the AORTIC meeting in Africa to address this issue.

Group photographs of participants were taken and the meeting was adjourned shortly after 8.00 pm.

Some of the participants at the AORTIC International meeting in New Orleans, April, 2001. The white-haired gentleman in the back row is Dr. James F. Holland, Distinguished Professor of Neoplastic Diseases at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. He is one of the founders of AORTIC.

A group of Ghanaian expatriate cancer research scientists share jokes after the meeting. The gentleman in the middle of the picture with his rear to the camera is Dr. Adunyah, a member of the AORTIC International Steering Committee.