Preclinical and Translational Shared Resource

PRECLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH SHARED RESOURCE PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Translational Research Shared Resource has been reorganized to include athymic animal and pharmacology services previously provided by the Athymic & Preclinical Therapeutics SR (see Shared Resources Management). This resulted in the formation of the Preclinical & Translational Shared Resource (PTSR). The primary role of the PTSR, is to enable, enhance, and coordinate bioanalytical study components of clinical trials, and provide support for preclinical drug discovery efforts in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC). The Center-managed PTSR assists clinical investigators with conduct of preclinical animal studies, logistics, processing, and analysis of biospecimens from Case CCC clinical trials, providing efficient and cost-effective services that would otherwise not be available to individual investigators. This SR maintains sites in proximity to patient treatment facilities at University Hospital (UH) Seidman Cancer Center (SCC) and the Cleveland Clinic (CC). In addition, the Wolstein Research Building at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) houses the Preclinical Drug Testing Laboratory (PDTL) and facilities for additional bioanalytics. In the current funding cycle, 234 investigators, 59% of whom were Case CCC members, accounting for 76% of total usage, from all 6 of the Case CCC research programs utilized the SR. The Specific Aims of the PTSR are to: 1. Provide Case CCC members with low cost immunodeficient mice, a library of PDX models, testing drug anti-tumor efficacy, performing PK/PD studies in support of IND applications, training of Case CCC member laboratories in animal techniques to facilitate technology transfer. 2. Provide assistance with design of bioanalytical studies associated with Case CCC clinical trials, to review and oversee logistics for processing of biospecimens and provide centralized, professionally-coordinated resource centers for logistics, processing and analysis of biospecimens. 3. Support preclinical drug development efforts by providing consultation in the design of drug development projects utilizing new agents or combinations and performing in vitro and in vivo analyses of these agents. This lab provides Cancer Center investigators with access to a variety of methods for the isolation of nucleic acids from a wide variety of biospecimens from human clinical trial patients as well as numerous preclinical models ranging from cultured cells to animal models.