History of the UAB SPORE in Breast Cancer .

The UAB Breast SPORE competitive renewal is being submitted at the end of the fourth year of the current P50 grant. In 1999, Drs. K. I. Bland (P.I.) and A. LoBuglio ( UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center director) assembled a multidisciplinary team of basic scientists and clinical investigators who successfully applied for and obtained P50 CA89019, with funding initiated on September 30, 2000. The initial application had six projects, three cores, and developmental research and career development programs. The projects were: 1) Pre-clinical/Clinical Development of Novel Retinoids; 2) Hormonal Resistance: Mechanisms and Reversal; 3) Biology and Intermediate Marker Role of a Novel Breast Cancer Oncogene, GKLF; 4) Gene Therapy Specifically Directed at Tumor Vasculature; 5) Polynucleotide Vaccine Therapy of Breast Cancer; and 6) Pre-targeting Radioimmunotherapy of Metastatic Breast Cancer. During the first four years of the UAB Breast SPORE, some projects have been terminated and others added after consultation with internal and external advisors and NCI program staff. In addition, the objectives of some projects have evolved based on feed-back from every sixth week work-in-progress reviews that emphasized translational science as defined by the NCI SPORE guidelines: “ translational research uses knowledge of human biology to develop and test the feasibility of cancer relevant interventions in humans AND/OR determines the biological basis for observations made in individuals with cancer or in populations at risk for cancer. ” The strengths of the UAB Breast SPORE are 1) its strong translational focus as demonstrated by development of eleven clinical protocols, participation in the NCI RAPID program, significant advancements in understanding determinants of prognosis in breast cancer, and development of novel therapeutic and chemotherapeutic strategies; 2) its publication track record with 280 publications, many of which are translational in nature; 3) its leveraging of funds to generate other peer-reviewed grants; 4) a strong commitment from UAB; 5) affiliation with a prominent NCI-endorsed comprehensive cancer center (UABCCC); 6) an experienced leadership team that shows the ability to mobilize resources at UAB and the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center (UABCCC); 7) a talented multidisciplinary team of basic and clinical investigators; 8) collaborations across projects and between the various UAB SPORES (intra-SPORE collaborations and 9) its robust developmental research and career development programs, which bring new ideas and investigators into the UAB Breast SPORE. Of primary importance, a critical mass of clinical studies developed within the UAB Breast SPORE during the first four years of its existence: an IRB-approved comprehensive database, a completed clinical trial, four clinical trials in progress, one clinical trial to be activated when reagents are available, and three additional clinical trials to be implemented as soon as necessary regulatory issues are finalized. In addition, Project #1 (chemoprevention) and Project #5 (therapy) of the competing renewal application will begin accruing patients to phase I trials in Year 1 of the new funding cycle.