The UCLA SPORE in Prostate Cancer Developmental Research Program (DRP) serves as a source of seed funding and timely mechanism to expand discovery within the SPORE. The overall Specific Aims of the Developmental Research Program (DRP) are: 1) to encourage and explore innovative translational research ideas that focus on etiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer;2) to fund research with the potential to advance the translational research goals of the overall SPORE. These funds will be targeted to areas of unmet need identified by the SPORE leadership;and 3) to encourage successful researchers working in other fields to focus their expertise toward the development of innovative translational projects in prostate cancer research. Funds from the DRP are essential to the long-term growth and vitality of the UCLA Prostate Cancer Program. With these funds we are able to support innovative projects by new and established investigators, which are critical to the generation of new ideas in prostate cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Prostate SPORE's DRP is supplemented by institutional funds to allow for rapid funding of important new initiatives within the scope of our SPORE research goals. Institutional funding totaling $675,000 annually has been secured for SPORE project and core support, as well as to provide supplemental funds for the DRP budget, allowing for the SPORE program to support a broad range of promising projects. The priority for funding will be those initiatives considered of highest scientific merit and with translational potential and relevance to the overall research mission of the UCLA Prostate SPORE. After initial review by the DRP Selection Committee, the Executive Committee approves the funding line and determines priorities for use of the DRP funds. Applicants are funded for a maximum of two years, except under unusual circumstances and based on documented progress, in which an additional year of funding may be needed to obtain extramural funding or to be promoted to a major research project within the SPORE.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in American men. The translational research projects included in this proposal aim to use knowledge of animal and human prostate cancer biology to develop and test interventions related to the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of prostate cancer in men.
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