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This content is from UT Health San Antonio’s book, “Advancing Cancer Research for Latinos and All Populations: 2026 Conference Proceedings,” which highlights results of the same-named conference in February 2026.
Special Virtual Session featuring International Latin American Researchers
Dr. Carolina Wiesner is the General Director and a researcher at the Instituto Nacional De Cancerología (INC) de Colombia.
The presentation highlighted the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INC) of Colombia as the country’s leading public cancer center and a strategic partner for international research collaboration.
The presentation also outlined the INC’s research ecosystem, including its National Cancer Research Network, active institutional research portfolio, participation in international scientific collaborations, the Terry Fox National Tumor Bank with more than twenty-five thousand five hundred fifty-seven (25.557) samples available for researchers, and recently expanded research infrastructure with advanced genomics, single-cell, bioinformatics, bioprinting, and flow cytometry capabilities. These resources support translational research and provide opportunities for collaborative studies involving biospecimens, clinical data, and population-based research relevant to Hispanic and other underrepresented populations.
Several ongoing research initiatives were presented as examples of potential collaboration, covering hereditary and sporadic breast and ovarian cancer, malignant pleural mesothelioma, functional genomics, artificial intelligence for breast cancer screening, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and microbiome and circulating microRNA biomarkers for colorectal cancer screening. Across these initiatives, the INC emphasized opportunities for joint grant applications, cohort expansion, shared access to research resources, technology and knowledge exchange, and collaborative development of precision oncology strategies. The overall objective is to establish long-term international partnerships that accelerate cancer research, strengthen scientific capacity, and improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for Latin American and Hispanic populations.
Finally, as Executive Secretariat of the Latin American National Cancer Institutes Alliance (INC-LATAM), the alliance promotes regional cooperation through joint research, capacity building, training, and the exchange of best practices. Current regional proposals include the strengthening of the Latin American and Caribbean biobank network (REBLAC), the development of shared research databases and patient registries, an international molecular data course, and the CYTED-funded REBECCA-IA network, which advances the application of artificial intelligence for personalized cancer control across Latin America.
By The Numbers
142
Percent
Expected rise in Latino cancer cases in coming years
