Developmental Research Program
Director: Scott Kopetz, M.D., Ph.D.
Co-Director: Anirban Maitra, M.B.B.S.
The purpose of the Developmental Research Program (DRP) is to fund highly innovative translational studies in colorectal cancer or pancreatic cancer (pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma) that currently lack a human endpoint as mandated by the SPORE guidelines, but that could become full SPORE projects with requisite DRP support, or compete successfully for funding outside of the SPORE mechanism. The DRP provides a unique venue for making available critical financial support, as well as disease-specific intellectual and resource expertise, through a program that is rapidly responsive to new ideas or initiatives, including from investigators whose current work may not focus exclusively in colorectal cancer or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma research. This process will therefore be a major educational activity that is further anticipated to stimulate translational research in colorectal cancer or pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and encourage the participation of both basic science researchers and clinical investigators in translational research.
2023-2024
Ron DePinho, M.D.
Professor, Cancer Biology
Targeting KRAS* and TDO2 to improve the immune therapeutic potential in CRC
Florencia McAllister, Ph.D.
Associate Profesor, Clinical Cancer Prevention
Targeting NETosis to prevent liver metastasis Niche Formation
Haoqiang Ying, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncology
Targeting CD24 to enhance the efficacy of KRASG12C inhibition in PDAC
Glen Traver Hart, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
Tumor-Specific RTK Synthetic Lethality in Colorectal Cancers
2022-2023
Roza Nurieva, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Immunology
Elucidation of mechanisms underlying colitis associated with immune checkpoint Inhibitor therapy
Sachet Shukla, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Hematopoietic Biology & Malignancies
Discovery of transcription dysregulation-derived antigens in colorectal cancer
Eduardo Vilar-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D., and Paul Scheet, Ph.D.
Vilar-Sanchez: Associate Professor, Clinical Cancer Prevention; Scheet: Chair, Epidemiology
Genomics and Epigenomics Profiling of Cell-free DNA for Cancer Screening in Lynch Syndrome
2021-2022
Wenyi Wang, Ph.D.
Professor, Bioinformatics & Computational Biology
Integrative genomic analysis to characterize tumor subclonal expansion and immune environment in primary and metastatic colorectal cancer
Henry Charles Manning, Ph.D.
Professor, Cancer Systems Imaging
Improved Staging and Metabolic Characterization via Quantitative PET Imaging xCT Activity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (PDAC) Metastases
Ronald DePinho, M.D.
Professor, Cancer Biology
Targeting synthetic essential effector TDO2 in APC-mutated colorectal cancer
Rosa Hwang, M.D.
Professor, Breast Surgical Oncology
Predicting Response to a Novel DKK3-Targeted Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer
2020–2021
Haoqiang Ying, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncology
Combinatory strategy to target metabolism dependency in pancreatic cancer
Michael Overman, Ph.D.
Professor, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology
Effects of fecal microbiome Transfer on PD1 responses
Ronald DePinho, M.D.
Professor, Cancer Biology
KRAS-directed EMT and immunity mechanisms driving increased CRC metastasis
Florencia McAllister, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Clinical Cancer Prevention
Human-to-mice fecal microbial transplants in pancreatic and colorectal cancer to sensitize
2019-2020
Michael Overman, Ph.D.
Professor, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology
Effects of fecal microbiome Transfer on PD1 responses
Cullen Taniguchi, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Radiation Oncology
Translating Mitochondrial Fusion as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy against Pancreatic Cancer
Kunal Rai, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Genomic Medicine
Stratification of colorectal cancers based on enhancer patterns for epigenetic therapy