Developmental Funds

During the past grant cycle, the Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) used developmental funds to support the following activities: ? 13 newly recruited investigators ? Pilot Projects: several MCC pilot mechanisms provide funding to aid in the development of multi-investigator research. The aim is to develop competitive applications to submit to the National Cancer Institute's Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs), Program Project (P01), or similar grant programs ? Clinical Pharmacology Developing Shared Resource, which has become an established shared resource in this submission ? Translational Methodologies support enabled Dr. Gunda Georg, Director of the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery & Development, to generate a triptolide derivative (termed Minnelide) and to optimize its pharmacokinetic properties for use as a cancer therapeutic. Recent work demonstrated the efficacy of this drug in vivo. Minnelide has been licensed to Minneamrita Therapeutics LLC for production and will be in a clinical phase I trial in the first half of 2013 The MCC is proposing to use developmental funds for the following purposes in the upcoming funding period: ? Newly recruited faculty ? Pilot research ? Two developing shared resources o Recruitment and Retention: This shared resource will support investigators in developing recruitment plans for therapeutic and non-therapeutic studies and ensuring complete and timely enrollment of participants. o Genome Engineering: This shared resource will use recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) to make site-specific alterations in human cell lines ofthe investigator's choosing. ? Staff Investigator: We are requesting funding for a 10% time Research Staff Investigator who will be responsible for developing the Cancer Detection, Treatment, and Survivorship (CaDeTS) component of the Prevention and Etiology Program to address a range of issues relevant to cancer patients and their families, including early detection through screening programs, comparative effectiveness and quality of cancer care across the continuum of care, and long-term quality-of-life outcomes of cancer survivors