Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States. African- American men are disproportionately impacted by prostate cancer and exhibit the highest incidence and mortality rate in the world. The underlying reasons for significant prostate cancer health disparities in African- American men are not clearly understood and may include both biological and socio-economic factors. The RCMl program has helped Clark Atlanta University (CAU) to establish the Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD), a premier research program in prostate cancer. CCRTD focuses on understanding prostate cancer health disparities and has successfully trained the next generation of minority scientists in the area of prostate cancer and developed a community-based educational and research program focusing on the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer. In this RCMl renewal application, we propose to enhance, improve and manage our research programs to increase efficient use of technologies, increase research capacity and competitiveness and expand our network through collaborations and partnerships with researchers, research institutes and community organizations. We propose the following specific aims to achieve our goals: 1) To recruit and support additional scientists to build a competitive basic and translational research center focused on prostate cancer health disparities and 2) To maintain and expand the existing research infrastructure within CCRTD. To achieve the specific aims, we plan to focus on two primary activities: a) Administrative Core Activity and b) Technologies and Resources for Core Laboratories Activity. Under the Administrative Core Activity, our key focus areas will be i) Collaborations and Partnerships; ii) Professional Development Activities; iii) Evaluation Plan; iv) Recruitment and Hiring of Additional Faculty Investigators/Research Staff; and v) Pilot Project Program. RCMl funding is vital for the continued development of biomedical research infrastructure at CAU in general and to assist CCRTD in expanding its focus on prostate cancer, a disease that disproportionately impacts African Americans.
Prostate cancer affects the African-American community disproportionately. There is an increased incidence/mortality rate for African-American men however the reason for this is unknown. The Center for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development is committed to focus on the impact of this health disparity within the African-American community.
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