When writing a grant proposal, scientists often promote the potential of the research to improve the quality of life of the common man. And when a proposal is focused on cancer treatment, claims of some broad social benefit are generally well-received, with cancer sadly being an increasingly common part of our unhealthy lifestyles. But do we as researchers actually understand the problems that clinicians face when they begin to treat a cancer patient or even when they need to diagnose a suspected case of cancer? If we do not understand the decision-making process of the clinician, our laboratory experiments may be uninformed and misdirected. And conversely, unless clinicians are aware of ongoing research efforts and ideas, their treatment regimens will not conform to "best possible practice".

To improve the success rate of treating cancer patients, it is imperative that we bridge the gap between the research lab and the clinic. With this in mind the ‘Hematological malignancies: a basic science and clinical initiative’ meeting was held in Bangalore, in early August 2010. It was organised by Prof. Sudhir Krishna, NCBS-TIFR, Prof. Cecil Ross, St. John's Medical College and Hospital, and Prof. Seema Nanda, TIFR-CAM, Bangalore. This novel initiative was supported by TIFR-ICTS and the same team of individuals and institutes is also organizing a year-long lecture program to bring clinicians and researchers onto the same page. Details can be found on this website.