One of the nation's leading research centers is right here in Honolulu. The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii is a branch of the University of Hawaii. The center's location enables it to do work other research centers cannot.

"I would like to show you what these cells look like," Molecular Biologist Janos Molnar told our KGMB9 crew during a recent tour of the research center.

The day we visited Molnar was examining a type of cancer that targets children. He is working toward what he hopes will be a breakthrough discovery.

"It is important, because if we don't do it ... then kids are going to die," Molnar said.

The Cancer Research Center of Hawaii is uniquely positioned amid a myriad ethnicities and cultures. "And we take advantage of the fact that we in Hawaii are in a special place," said Alan McClelland, Associate Director for Scientific Administration of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii.

"That unique population diversity allows us to ask questions about, why is it that cancer rates vary among different groups of people. And by asking those types of questions about differences in life styles, differences in genetics, differences in the diet of different population groups, we can get insight into what the causes of cancer are," McClelland explained.

As an example, scientists at the Hawaii facility discovered a significantly higher rate of colon cancer among Japanese that moved to Hawaii compared to those who stayed in Japan.

"And the question, is it through changing diet from the traditional diet in Japan to a more American diet, or is it due to other factors?" McClelland asked.

People at the research center are determined to find the answers to questions like that. The answers, they believe, will lead to new medication, improved treatment, and ultimately a cure.

"Our ultimate goal is to reduce the burden of cancer," McClelland said.

Cancer kills a person every second in the United States, and while treatment has improved, federal funding for cancer research has not increased for three or four years.

"The National Cancer Institute has not been receiving an increase in its budget for several years, and so with inflation the amount of dollars that are available nationally from the National Cancer Institute and the NIH (National Institute of Health) has actually been dropping. That means even good ideas for cancer research can sometimes find it very difficult to get money," McClelland said.

---