DEVELOPMENTAL THERAPEUTICS RESEARCH PROGRAM PROGRAM CODE: DT PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The highly collaborative, transdisciplinary Developmental Therapeutics (DT) Research Program is a critical translational innovation hub for Yale Cancer Center (YCC), bridging drug discovery and experimental therapeutics to translate preclinical discoveries and treatment strategies into the clinic, while returning clinical advances to the bench for refinement. In achieving this mission, DT capitalizes on science derived from all seven YCC Research Programs. DT has assembled a critical mass of laboratory and clinical investigators who command expertise from basic research scientists, translational researchers, and clinical investigators, as well as proven ability to translate findings into development and evaluation of new therapies. DT?s most important focus area is the transition from a novel therapeutic strategy, through a drug candidate, into early-phase clinical trials that incorporate and leverage inventive correlative science to inform potential new targets, predictive biomarkers, and future clinical development. YCC promotes transdisciplinary collaborative research in DT and enhances cancer focus via inter- and intra-programmatic meetings, recruitment, space, pilot funding, grant applications, mentorship, and Shared Resource improvements. DT?s goals have evolved over the past cycle in response to breakthroughs in cancer medicine, including genome profiling, widespread testing of kinase inhibitors, innovations in chemical biology, insights into DNA repair, and the immunotherapy revolution. YCC members are intimately involved in these advances, and DT is poised to leverage its scientific breadth with strengthened capacity in early-phase clinical research and personalized medicine to address important barriers to progress in cancer therapeutics. The Early Phase Clinical Trials Network UM1 grant and its associated Phase II supplement, P50 Lung and Skin SPORE grants, Stand-up to Cancer grants in lung, melanoma, and colorectal cancers, and Lead Academic Participating Site grant from the NCI National Clinical Trials Network serve as a critical nidus to advance this goal and drive our translational efforts from lab to clinic and clinic to lab. DT has 66 members, representing 16 departments, with faculty from the Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Engineering & Applied Sciences. This includes one Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, four National Academy of Sciences members, and one Institute of Medicine member. DT members published 902 papers between July 1, 2012 and June 1, 2017, with inter- programmatic (29%), intra-programmatic (19%), and intra- plus inter-programmatic (9%) collaborations demonstrating interactions among DT members within the program, as well as with YCC members in other programs. Funding is robust, with total cancer-related funding of $17.6M (direct costs). This includes $7.1M in peer-reviewed funding, of which $3.6M is from NCI. This is a 29% increase in NCI funding from $2.8M at the last renewal in 2012 (direct costs). !
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