Cancer Center Support Grant

Overall Summary The Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) is an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center dedicated to cancer research, education, and patient care for the citizens of Minnesota. Since the time of the first award in 1997, there has been growth of the membership and research base. In our original application, there were 89 members; this has increased to 245 members from 49 departments and 11 colleges and schools of the University of Minnesota. Since our last renewal, there has been growth in cancer-related direct funding from $71.8M to $88.1M, a 23% increase. The MCC is organized into 6 Programs that focus on specific scientific themes: Screening, Prevention, Etiology and Cancer Survivorship; Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention; Genetic Mechanisms; Cell Mechanisms; Immunology; and Transplant and Cellular Therapy. These programs are supported by 10 Shared Resources. The past funding period has seen increased emphasis on developing our translational pipeline. The resources available to members for effective translation have been reorganized under the leadership of a single Associate Director (AD) with oversight of both the fiscal resources and “idea generating” Translational Working Groups. Close collaboration between the AD for Translational Research and our AD for Clinical Research has led to the emergence of multiple new interventional trials from the science of MCC. MCC is a successful matrix organization in a large public research university that engages its faculty to focus on the problem of cancer. As such, MCC has engaged the community within our entire catchment area, established a longitudinal training pathway for learners, and is developing a plan for enhancing diversity within our workforce and patient population. Our current period of support has been characterized by growth in NCI- funded research; stability in our leadership; enhanced engagement of our community; and creation of several new cancer-focused initiatives including a statewide cancer clinical trials network, a global cancer prevention institute, and a developmental therapeutics initiative. Together, these activities fulfill our aims to 1) conduct high-impact population, basic, translational, and clinical research focused on eliminating the burden of cancer, especially in underrepresented populations; 2) provide the administrative and research structure at the University of Minnesota to engage our partners in the conduct of cancer research; 3) build multi- and transdisciplinary teams to address complex cancer problems; 4) educate the next generation of cancer researchers with special emphasis on enhancing diversity within the workforce; and 5) engage local, state, national, and international partners in helping MCC solve the problem of cancer.