Development Research Program

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PROJECT SUMMARY The goal of the DRP is to support innovative and scientifically meritorious research projects that can be translated into clinically important applications impacting diagnosis and management of breast cancer to decrease the burden and mortality from this disease. The DRP will: 1) encourage and solicit innovative translational laboratory, population, and clinical study proposals; 2) encourage and support interdisciplinary collaboration in translational research in breast cancer; and 3) generate new hypotheses that can be tested in larger-scale research projects. This support will expand the research portfolio of the SPORE. The Developmental Research Program will provide $50,000 direct costs for one year ($25,000 from SPORE funds and $25,000 from Mayo Clinic Cancer Center) to each of six projects. Additionally, the DRP will provide an additional $25,000 direct costs/year for each of the 5 years to support one project led by an investigator from an underrepresented racial and ethnic group. This will be matched with an additional 25K from the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center or our collaborating institutions, University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center and Emory Cancer Center. In all cases, there will be the expectation of a second year of support contingent on sufficient progress. A process has been established involving a call for applications and a formal peer review utilizing the expertise of the Internal Scientific Advisory Committee and other experienced investigators. Criteria for selection of projects for funding are based upon scientific merit, originality, qualifications of the applicant, and translational potential. It is expected that support of developmental research projects will result in generation of data that will serve as the basis for additional SPORE-sponsored projects or support through peer-reviewed external grant support. The three main metrics for productivity of the DRP are advancement of DRP projects to a full Project in the SPORE, acquisition of extramural funding, and publications by the project awardees. There have been 41 DRP awardees with four awards being made on September 1, 2020. Six of the eleven SPORE projects in the current grant (two), previous grant (two), and renewal (two) have a Co-Leader who was a DRP awardee. The 36 DRP awardees (before September 1, 2020) have obtained 17 R01s, nine Foundation grants, three Komen grants, one State of Minnesota grant, one R21, one American Association for Cancer Research grant, one American Cancer Society grant, one Eagle’s grant, one Regenerative Medicine Minnesota grant, and three Breast SPORE Career Enhancement Awards, in addition to the five awardees who have advanced to Co-Leadership of a full project in the Breast SPORE. These 36 awardees have published 115 manuscripts related to their DRP projects in peer-reviewed journals. The DRP has been highly successful in identifying cadre of investigators that has expanded and enriched the scientific portfolio of the SPORE and provided a mechanism for development of Co-Leaders in full Projects.