Cancer Center Support Grant

PROJECT SUMMARY – OVERALL The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) is in its 49th year as an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, having received an “exceptional” overall merit descriptor in its last three reviews, and is requesting continued federal support for the next five years. The OSUCCC mission remains to reduce cancer morbidity and mortality through basic, population, translational, and clinical research. Through thoughtful strategic planning, attention to the cancer burden in the catchment area (the state of Ohio), effective organizational capabilities, and targeted investment, the Director and his Senior Leadership Team will enable the OSUCCC to advance collaborative cancer research with local, national, and global partners on initiatives of the highest priority to the OSUCCC. The 323 members are currently served by 12 Shared Resources and are distributed among our five Research Programs: Cancer Biology, Cancer Control, Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies, Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention, and Translational Therapeutics. The OSUCCC fosters collaborative basic research and implements strategies that advance and translate early discovery into clinical and population-based research and addresses the needs of our catchment area through research, engagement, and outreach, from etiology through prevention, treatment and survivorship regarding the major cancers afflicting our catchment area population. The OSUCCC trains the next generation of cancer-focused scientists and clinicians through new and established programs focused on integrating training for collaborative research efforts. Under the leadership of Director Raphael Pollock, MD, PhD, the OSUCCC supports innovative research efforts across three strategic plan interprogrammatic themes: immuno-oncology, cancer engineering, and cancer prevention and survivorship. Since the last CCSG competitive renewal, the OSUCCC has shown tremendous growth demonstrated by: 1) the recruitment of 77 basic, population, and translational science faculty who are OSUCCC members; 2) the addition of 63,230 ft2 research and administrative space under the full control of the OSUCCC Director; 3) a 34% increase in direct cancer-related funding to $101.1M, with $53.6M coming from the NCI; 4) accrual of 18,459 patients to interventional clinical trials, a 23% increase compared to the prior review cycle with 17.4% from individuals from American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, Black/African American backgrounds; and 5) increased collaborative and impactful research demonstrated by 4,548 peer-reviewed publications in which 26% are intra-programmatic, 37% are inter-programmatic, and 97% are multi-institutional; 900 are published in journals with an impact factor >10. Efforts are supported by a new funds flow model based on revenue generated by clinical activity in The James Cancer Hospital. With new recruits and strong institutional and philanthropic support in place, the OSUCCC is poised in the next five years to take significant steps toward achieving our strategic plan vision of creating a cancer-free world.