Recent discoveries in genetics and genomics hold great promise for the development of target-defined prevention- and chemotherapeutic-strategies for breast and ovarian cancer. However, a coordinated, multidisciplinary research effort is required to translate these new research discoveries into the next generation of therapeutic strategies. To meet this challenge the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program aims to 1) define eariy events in breast and ovarian carcinogenesis, 2) translate these advances into targeted therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of breast and ovarian cancer, and 3) test these new therapies in investigator-initiated and multi-institutional clinical trials. The Program includes 29 full and 10 associate members from twelve basic and clinical departments within Duke University. Total funding for program members is $15,171,183, of which $10,468,237 is from peer-reviewed sources. A cancer focus is illustrated by $8,076,169 or 77.1% of funding from the NCI, the American Cancer Society or the Department of Defense. Since its inception, the Program has successfully fostered scientific interabtions between members of the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Institute (DCCI) who have basic, translational, and clinical research interests in breast and ovarian cancer. Within the domain of the Program we developed five subprograms that draw from our translational research strength and ability to translate basic science discoveries to impact the eariy detection and treatment of breast and ovarian cancer: 1) Eariy detection strategies for breast and ovarian cancer; 2) Methylation imprinting and epigenetic dysregulation; 3) Basic breast and ovarian cancer biology and novel therapeutic targeting; 4) Genomics; and 5) Disparities for African American women. The diversity of interest and experimental approaches used by the members of the Breast and Ovarian Program represents an effective environment for fostering cross-fertilization of ideas aimed at understanding breast and ovarian cancer. In addition, the Program supports developmental projects, new faculty awards, and tissue procurement and banking. From 2004-2008, program members published 737 papers in peerreviewed journals that bear directly on breast and/or ovarian cancer (increased 498). Program members are highly collaborative. Of these publications, 46% are the result of inter-programmatic collaborations and 51% due to intra-program collaborations (increased from 6% and 10% respectively in 2003).
Breast arid Ovarian Cancer Program fosters scientific interactions between basic, translational, and clinical scientists to generate novel therapeutic strategies for the prevention, detection, and treatment of breast and ovarian cancer. The multi-disiciplinary collaborations fostered by the program allow investigators to make translational discoveries that could not be made by investigators working in isolation.
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