DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS

DEVELOPMENTAL FUNDS Developmental funds, $470,000, are requested to support HICCC pilot project initiatives that foster translational research, ($320,000) and cancer projects of outstanding merit that were rated above the 20th percentile by an NIH study section ($150,000). These Center initiatives were implemented by the SLT in 2007. Over the past funding period CCSG Development funds were limited to $147,806 per year due to budgetary constraints following the last competition. Following the appointment of the Center Director in March 2005, it was decided that funds in this category would not be awarded until the Center's research programs were reorganized and Center membership reviewed and approved. At the time of this submission, the accumulated total, $591,224, has been carried over to the no-cost extension period, July 2007 - June 2008, to be used in support of program-specific pilot projects. To promote novel research initiatives through the pilot project mechanism during the current project period, HICCC utilized philanthropic funds totaling $1.7M to fund 31 current or former HICCC members. Annual project funding was $35,000 to $50,000 for one to two years. Richard Baer, PhD, Associate Director for Basic Research, oversees the Center's pilot project initiatives. He is responsible for organizing and selecting the ad hoc committee members based on the subject matter of the funding opportunity and ensuring rigorous scientific review using the NIH scoring system. Selected pilot projects supported by philanthropic funds during the project period include: ¿ Characterization of the tumor suppressor ARC in mitosis, Y. Mao (CGE) Outcome: Zhang, J., Ahmad, S., Mao, Y., (2007) BubRland APC/EB1 cooperate to maintain metaphase chromosome alignment. J Cell Biol 178: 773-784. ¿ Mechanisms and consequences of genome demethylation in mammary carcinoma, T. Bestor (CGE) Outcome: NIH R01 grant based on pilot data in planning stages. ¿ Stem cells and cancer stem cells in mouse mammary glands, A Efstratiadis (BC) Outcome: Preliminary data was the basis for a May 2007 Work Study under the same title between Columbia Science & Technology Ventures and Merck. ¿ Dissecting oncogenic pathways in T-ALL: retroviral mutagenesis and human T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia, A Ferrando (LDM) Outcome: two manuscripts in preparation ¿ Helix loop helix transcription factors in differentiation and proliferation of tumor cells, A lavarone (CSN) Outcome: NIH/NCI R01CA85628 Id2 in cell cycle regulation and cancer $230,000/year, 8/1/2006- 7/31/2011 ¿ Stem cells and the genesis of epidermal tumors, D Owens (CGE) Outcome: Dermatology Foundation grant, Epiderma stem cells as targets for cutaneous neoplasia $55,000/year, 7/1/2006-6/30/2007 ¿ Id2 protein in glioma tumor angiogenesis, A Lasorella (CSN) Outcome: Lasorella A., Stegmuller J., Guardavaccaro D., Liu G., Carro M.S., Rothschild G., de la Torre- Ubieta L., Pagano M., Bonni A., lavarone A., Degradation of Id2 by the anaphase promoting complex couples cell cycle exit and axonal growth. Nature, 422:471-474, 2006 Other HICCC members who received pilot project funds during the project period include: R. Baer, K. Crew J. Gautier, D Hershman, and K Joseph, (BC); A Joe and I B Weinstein, (PCD); and MB Terry and T Liu (CE), W. Gu (CSN and BC), and J Kandel (PC). In 2007, the HICCC's senior leadership team agreed on the following funding mechanisms to promote intraand inter-programmatic translational research: HICCC Program-specific Pilot (PROspe) Fund to stimulate intra-programmatic translational research initiatives. Each of the seven research programs and the developing Neuro-oncology program are assigned $70,000 to fund, on a competitive basis, a pilot project of strategic relevance to the translational goals of the program. Funding opportunities have been announced and awardees will be selected by mid October. ¿ HICCC Inter-programmatic (InterPro) Pilot Project Fund to stimulate inter-programmatic translational research initiatives. The HICCC will assign to each program $40,000 to fund, on a competitive basis, a pilot project that involves Pis from two programs, with priority given to those projects involving programs from two distinct areas, i.e., basic, disease-specific, or population science. Institutional and philanthropic funds will support the HICCC inter-programmatic pilot project initiative. Funding opportunities have been announced and awardees will be selected by mid-October ¿ In the summer of 2007, the HICCC initiated the Bridging Award (BrAwa) to support cancer projects of outstanding merit that were rated above the 20th percentile by an NIH study section as a first application or competitive renewal but were not funded due to budgetary restrictions. The HICCC Bridging Award will fund annually, on a competitive basis, two $75,000 projects. Notices of this funding opportunity have been announced and funding will be awarded in December 2007.