Cancer Center Breast Cancer Research Program

Edwards, Dean

Abstract

The University of Colorado Cancer Center (UCCC) and its affiliates have organized individuals with research interests in basic science, clinical studies, and prevention/control strategies of breast cancer, who propose to form a multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Research Program to enhance the movement of basic science discoveries into clinical applications. The UCCC has exceptional basic research strengths in the areas of hormonal regulation, signal transduction and growth control mechanisms, and existing clinical research strengths in particular, in studies that combine high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation. In prevention/control, in addition to several screening programs, areas of potential strength are clinics for women at high risk for developing breast cancer and a Hereditary Cancer Clinic which will interface with basic scientists investigating biological and genetic markers of premalignancy. These three general areas represent the present focus of the current breast cancer research efforts. The Program proposed herein will enhance these existing areas by creating a more highly interactive multidisciplinary environment, and will accomplish this by bringing new scientists and expertise to work on these problems and by creating collaborative elements to extend existing projects in new directions. We will also seek to build areas complementary to current strengths including, conventional-dose adjuvant chemotherapy (or hormonal) strategies and basic research in gene therapy technologies as well as identification of molecular and genetic markers of breast cancer. To meet these goals we will: a) provide funding for pilot grants; b) organize and fund an annual scientific retreat, minisymposium, and a weekly interdisciplinary breast conference; c) create a Translational Resource to facilitate collaborative projects between basic and clinical scientists that require patient access and materials; and d) recruit a new medical oncologist with combined clinical and basic science background to enhance the Program in a complementary area of research and to bring additional focus to translational research efforts. The UCCC and the School of Medicine are committed to increasing research efforts in breast cancer as evidenced by their support of the Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, creation of a new Department of Radiation Oncology, active recruitments for a new Chief of Medical Oncology and an epidemiologist in the Preventive Medicine Department who has a research focus in breast cancer, and committed space and matching funds to the Program proposed in this application. Our goal is to create a strong interactive research effort in breast cancer that will lead to new research opportunities and impact on the disease and patient care.