H. Kim Lyerly seeks the K24 Mid-Career Investigator Award to enhance his opportunity to perform patient-oriented research, mentor young investigators entering a career of clinical investigation, and establish an interaction with the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACoSOG). If Dr. Lyerly receives this award he will focus his clinical activities on cancer patients, will decrease his patient care responsibilities to one half day per week, and with biostatistical collaborator, Dr. Donna Niedzweiki, and establish a working group in cancer immunotherapy within ACoSOG to mentor new clinical investigators. Dr. Lyerly's research focuses on cancer immunotherapy, especially translational, investigator-initiated projects. His immediate research objectives include studies of protective and therapeutic immunity, specifically the investigation of active immunotherapy with dendritic cells to induce tumor antigen specific T cell responses. His long-term career objective centers on the biology and clinical outcomes of protective and therapeutic immune responses, specifically antigen specific T cell responses that will require testing in large multi-center trials. Dr. Lyerly collaborates extensively with basic and clinical science investigators at Duke University through his own P01 and R01 grants, as well as through the General Clinical Research Center, and the Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has successfully mentored numerous clinical investigators, including investigators involved with current projects. These mentoring activities are strongly supported by leadership of the Duke Departments of Surgery and Medicine and the ACoSOG. In addition, NIH P01 and R01 research grants and a pending Surgical Oncology Training Grant provide financial support for young investigators. This K24 award would support Dr. Lyerly's efforts to mentor young investigators at Duke and to establish a working group to mentor young investigators in cancer immunotherapy within the ACoSOG.
