Johns Hopkins has been a member of ECOG since 1955. Our primary goal is to bring innovative clinical research protocols and laboratory correlative studies piloted at Johns Hopkins to ECOG for further development. In conjunction with this, we provide leadership as protocol study chairs, disease and modality oriented committee chairs, as well as wide committee participation at the membership level.
The specific aims during this grant renewal period are to: (1) continue to provide scientific leadership in the disease oriented committees: Lung, Head and Neck, Breast, Pathology and Pharmacology and to expand these efforts into AIDS and Neuro-Oncology; (2) to bring translational research, cell biology and molecular biology into clinical protocols for all stages of disease including prevention; (3) to expand our accrual and improve data management; (4) to increase participation of our affiliated community hospitals. We expect to achieve these aims through the successful efforts of our faculty in obtaining funded laboratory science and clinical research grants such as the SPORE grants in Lung and Prostate Cancer and our continuing Phase I Contract with the NCI. These grants will allow the development of phase I clinical trials, including bone marrow transplant, gene therapies, and novel cytotoxic agents, within Johns Hopkins that can then be taken to ECOG for disease-specific phase II and phase III evaluation. New areas of Johns Hopkins involvement include AIDS lymphoma and Neuro- Oncology. Mechanisms are in place to bring innovative research projects in these 2 areas into ECOG. Our accrual to studies and quality of data management will improve greatly. This will be accomplished through a total reorganization of our data management office with new administrative staff, a new ECOG dedicated research nurse, and a new senior data management coordinator. Accrual is expected to increase because of expanded clinical programs and faculty as we plan for a new larger Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. In addition, a new director of Community Programs has been appointed with the specific goal of expanding our hospital network 'to provide greater access to high priority ECOG-NCI sponsored trials including cancer control and prevention studies.
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