Drug Discovery, Delivery and Experimental Therapeutics Program

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DRUG DISCOVERY, DELIVERY AND EXPERIMENTAL THERAPEUTICS: ABSTRACT The Drug Discovery, Delivery and Experimental Therapeutics (D3ET) research program integrates a broad range of research areas that contribute to the discovery of new cancer therapeutic agents as well as novel approaches to effective drug delivery; the development of drug products and diagnostics for the treatment and prevention of cancer; and the evaluation of these medical innovations in hypothesis-driven experimental therapeutics trials. D3ET is organized around three central, highly integrated scientific themes: 1) Drug Discovery and Delivery; 2) Drug and Diagnostic Development; and 3) Evaluation of New Cancer Treatment Strategies in Experimental Therapeutic Trials. D3ET has 62 members, including 36 full and 26 associate members. Membership reflects a range of senior and early stage investigators with 27 Professors, 13 Associate Professors and 20 Assistant Professors and two key shared resource personnel. D3ET members are drawn from 25 departments across Children’s Mercy (CM), the University of Kansas in Lawrence (KU-L), and the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City (KUMC), providing a rich environment for discipline diversity and team science. During the reporting period (CY20), 85% of program members have cancer relevant, externally funded research grants. From 2016-2020, the D3ET program achieved a strong and growing cancer-focused research portfolio. D3ET members have doubled funding (increase of $15M) over the past five years with $7M of this increase comprised of peer-reviewed funding and $8M of non-peer reviewed funding, along with a near doubling of NCI-sponsored direct funding. D3ET has successfully advanced five KU-invented cancer therapeutic agents (See Table 4), to clinical trials over the past four years. The D3ET program has made substantial progress in publishing its research and increasing intra-programmatic (33%) and inter- programmatic (21%) collaborations. Between 2016 and 2020, D3ET members published 902 cancer-relevant publications (an average of 14.5 publications per member), including 142 high-impact publications in journals with impact factors ≥ 10.0 (16%). D3ET is jointly led by John A. Taylor, MD, MS (KUMC), Priyanka Sharma, MD (KUMC), and Dan A. Dixon, PhD (KU-L), who bring complementary scientific expertise in drug discovery, development and experimental therapeutics and strong track records of mentorship. This highly interactive leadership team meets biweekly with Scott Weir, PharmD, PhD (KUMC), Associate Director for Translational Research, to ensure seamless integration with broader cancer center goals and initiatives.