Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center SPORE in Gastrointestinal Cancer

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Overall This application is an A1 submission of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center Gastrointestinal SPORE, which will focus on colorectal cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Our potential for success is high based on 1) productivity during the previous cycle of the GI SPORE, 2) exceedingly strong institutional support, 3) recruitment of talented investigators to the field of GI cancer through career enhancement and developmental research funding, 4) access to unparalleled resources for drug discovery and ex vivo models, 5) a blend of young and seasoned clinical investigators and basic scientists working together in a highly collegial environment, 6) a committed group of patient advocates now organized into a patient advocacy council and 7) multiple inter-SPORE, pharmaceutical, national and international horizontal and vertical collaborations. We narrowly missed being funded on our A0 submission and have been provided interim funding by NCI. We propose three projects and four supporting cores.