The Hollings Cancer Center (HCC) at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) utilizes the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) developmental funds to fuel its strategic plans for advancement of junior investigators, team science, translational and clinical research, and support of strategic faculty recruitments. During the current project period a total of $633,635 of CCSG developmental funds were distributed for pilot research funding in support of nine projects. Including the CCSG funds, HCC invested a total of $2.7 million in pilot research funds awarded between 2013-2018, which can be directly linked to the successful award of $26 million in extramural, multi-year grant funding. This is a nearly 10-fold yield from the investment of CCSG dollars. In addition, CCSG developmental funds supported the recruitment of three new faculty recruits supporting the expansion of scientific expertise in the Cancer Biology (CB), Developmental Cancer Therapeutics (DCT), and Cancer Immunology (CI) Programs. J. Alan Diehl, PhD and Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology holds the SmartState Endowed Professor of Lipidomics and Pathobiology Chair. Diehl was recruited to MUSC in 2014 from the University of Pennsylvania to serve as the Associate Director of Basic Science. His research is currently funded by an NCI R01 and three NCI P01s. Anand Mehta, PhD and Professor of Cell & Molecular Pharmacology and SmartState Endowed Chair of Proteomic Biomarkers was recruited to MUSC in 2016 from Drexel University. Mehta?s research is currently funded by an NCI U01 and R01. Carsten Krieg, PhD is Assistant Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and recruited to MUSC in 2017 from the University of Zurich. His expertise in single cell cytometry by time of flight (CyTOF) was identified as a priority focal area for Cancer Immunology Program. Krieg is now building a technology platform within the HCC?s Flow Cytometry & Cell Sorting (FCCS) Shared Resource for high dimensional analysis using mass cytometry or conventional flow cytometers and high dimensional sorting for HCC investigators. In the next project period, the HCC requests $602,250 per year in developmental funds, 27% of the overall direct Cancer Center Support Grant request. These funds will be utilized in meeting the following specific aims: 1) Award pilot research funding to HCC investigators to promote team science, high risk/high reward ideas, and pre-clinical and clinical concepts; 2) Invest in new faculty start-up packages in support of the HCC six-year strategic plan; and 3) Support up to 20% effort for two early-stage clinical investigators annually who will be charged with developing innovative investigator-initiated trials.
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