Developmental Research Program

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Recognizing that developmental research funds are an integral part of the SPORE, we commit $205,000 per year to these endeavors. This represents a significant percent in the budget of the UM Prostate SPORE and reflects the continued commitment of this program to the development of innovative translational research in prostate cancer. The focus of the Developmental Research Program (DRP) is to provide investigators the resources to generate preliminary data for the submission of an R01 grant application or an equivalent proposal Investigators from outside the field of prostate cancer are encouraged to apply through campus-wide announcements as well as through personal interactions with the SPORE investigators. We developed a stepwise proposal solicitation and review process for pilot projects utilizing an NIH-type PHS 398 format that has been streamlined for rapid turnaround of research proposals and which recognizes that these projects may have little preliminary data. Investigators may apply for pilot project grants ($40,000 - $50,000 each) or seed grants ($5,000 - $10,000 each). In addition, we set aside funds for summer student projects ($5,000 each). Since 1995, we have invested $3.5 million in our DRP, funding a total of 83 investigators though 68 pilot projects, 63 seed grants and 35 summer student projects. These awards have led to over $32 million in subsequent SPORE and non-SPORE peer-reviewed funding and 127 published manuscripts. During this current grant cycle, we funded 51 projects: 16 pilot projects ($50K each), 4 seed grants ($10K each) and 35 summer student projects ($5K each). Drs. Maha Hussain and Mark Day serve as co-Directors for the DRP. Dr. Hussain is a Professor of Internal Medicine and Urology and is internationally recognized for her clinical research expertise in prostate cancer. Dr. Hussain participates with the Oncology Training Grant. She serves as the