Developmental Therapeutics

The overarching goal of Developmental Therapeutics (DT) Program is to develop and translate novel mechanism-driven anticancer therapeutics and therapeutic combinations. To accomplish this goal, Program members conduct convergent and impactful scientific research that aims to: 1) uncover new cancer vulnerabilities and develop novel therapeutics and combinations; 2) understand and overcome therapy resistance; and 3) facilitate clinical translation of program-developed drugs and therapeutic strategies through innovative clinical trials. To catalyze the realization of our Aims, DT Program pursues two other important missions. First, DT Program is fully integrated with our Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) component to address the etiology and molecular mechanisms underlying the major health disparities in COE-prioritized cancers and ensure incorporation of community perspectives into our program research. Second, by actively engaging in all facets of education and mentoring coordinated through the CRTEC (Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination) Core, DT Program emphasizes mentoring junior members, and educating and training the next generation of basic and clinician scientists to develop expertise across the continuum of anticancer therapeutic development with a diverse and inclusive team. DT Program is co-led by Dr. Dean Tang, an expert on studying (cancer) stem cells, cancer heterogeneity and plasticity, and therapy resistance, and Dr. Igor Puzanov, an expert on conducting clinical trials with an emphasis on combining immune and targeted agents. With complementary expertise, the Program leaders work together to define priorities for Institutional investment, strengthen Program science by promoting intra- and inter- programmatic collaborations, and foster Program development via retreats, the bi-weekly DT seminar series, monthly Faculty Grant Forum, and Program funding mechanisms that emphasize COE and cancer disparities. The DT Program presently has 42 members from 10 departments. In the current funding cycle, DT Program members demonstrated synergistic and significantly increased productivity in basic discovery and translational and clinical cancer research. The high impact of DT Program research is best evidenced by the quality of our members' publications: 28% are in high-impact (JIF≥10) journals compared to 9% in 2018. Further, the direct peer-reviewed funding in DT Program has substantially increased from $5.58M (40% from NCI) in 2018 to $12.88M (78% from NCI) as of 3/31/2023. Notably, 78% of the members have peer-reviewed funding and DT Program has seen significant increases in team science, health disparity focused and mentored/training grants. Also, the Program-related clinical trial accruals have been steady and strong with a slight increase (from 346 in 2018 to 399 in 2022). Finally, DT members have contributed to the CCSG mission by not only conducting impactful science and winning competitive grant support but also providing leadership as Shared Resource Directors, TRG (Translational Research Group) Directors, Faculty Mentors, and leaders in education.