Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The mission of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC), now in its 34th grant year, is to develop high-impact and comprehensive cancer research programs in an environment that fosters scientific discovery, spans prevention, facilitates early detection, stratifies risk, promotes therapies, and finds cures to ultimately improve lives across its communities. The Case CCC’s geographic outreach addresses the individual needs of patients in the catchment area. This approach empowers innovation and discovery in clinical care reflecting an unyielding commitment to reducing health care disparities and impacting cancer care in the catchment area and worldwide. The Center coordinates all aspects of cancer research in Cleveland and Northern Ohio, including activities of the affiliate institutions of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, and University Hospitals. The Case CCC is organized around 6 Research Programs, 10 Shared Resources, and a clinical and behavioral cancer research infrastructure that prioritizes innovative translational research and investigator-initiated clinical trials that cut across the Research Programs. The Center promotes the education and training of the next generation of cancer-focused scientists and healthcare professionals and seeks to promote a research community distinguished by academic and organizational excellence. The Case CCC includes 288 full members from 8 schools and 46 academic departments who actively participate in Center activities which promote a transdisciplinary approach that facilitates discovery and clinical application. The cancer focus of the Center is exceptional, with over $87M in direct funding and over $30M in direct NCI funding. Institutional commitment is also exceptional, codified through an updated Memorandum of Understanding. The consortium members will provide over $220M of internal funds for cancer research in the next grant cycle. The Case CCC and its affiliate institutions have established an outstanding infrastructure that enables its members to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer through discovery, implementation and dissemination, and collaborative transdisciplinary research while providing state-of-the-art care and treatment to cancer patients and their families. Case CCC members identify new therapeutic targets, make drug discoveries, develop new imaging tools, and pursue innovative clinical trials with novel small molecules and immune therapeutics. The core principles of the Case CCC are reflected in the updated Strategic Plan, including bi-directional engagement to build trust within the community. The Case CCC yields tangible benefits as an active partner with the NCI by supporting cancer relevant scientific research with direct benefit to patients and the general public.