The Biological Models, Biostatistics, Molecular Pathology and Microscopy Core, Core Component B, is significantly improved in response to the critiques. A new senior Core Director, Brett Bouma, who is a Professor at Harvard and an expert in microscopy, will lead the Core. This Core integrates novel biological models with newly developed biochemical and imaging assay platforms to enable the development of the treatments envisioned in the Program Projects. This Core will also coordinate physically decentralized but centrally communicating biostatistics and pathological services to support experimental design and the interpretation of preclinical results. The biostatistics and pathology personnel, who are located at each site to maintain close contact with each principal investigator, are now specified in the revised submission. The objective of Core B is to provide a service and research platform to increase the efficiency of microscopy, biostatistics and pathology techniques used by all four Program Projects. In addition, another aim of Core B is to collaborate with Projects to develop new technologies. Thus, the Core will also have a research and development component to provide novel cancer models and tumor imaging technologies for the advancement of the Program Projects. For instance, once the erlotinib containing TLNCs have been developed in Project 3, Core B will fabricate these to transfer this technology for use in Project 1. Overall, the Program Projects will leverage several new biomarker and treatment response quantification methods developed and validated during the previous funding cycle.
Core B provides biological models, biostatistics, molecular pathology and microscopy support that are needed for the projects to be maximally successful in optimizing photodynamic-based combination therapies of cancer. The core integrates advanced biological models of skin and pancreatic cancer with newly developed biochemical and imaging assay platforms to enable the rational-design of novel combination therapies for optimal inhibition of cancer cell survival and metastasis.
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