"Project Summary/Abstract: Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) Norris Cotton Cancer Center (NCCC) at Dartmouth is dedicated to developing strategies to prevent and cure cancer, through pioneering interdisciplinary research, and translating new knowledge into meaningful preventive and therapeutic approaches. We seek to reduce the population?s risk of cancer, control disease in cancer patients, and enhance the well-being of cancer survivors. While pursuing resolution of these concerns in general, as the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Northern New England, we are particularly attentive to addressing the needs of the relatively rural, medically underserved residents of Northern New England in the surrounding catchment area. Our approach includes engaging our 150 NCCC faculty Members in collaborative efforts around six transdisciplinary unifying themes to address Cancer Control (CC), Cancer Epidemiology (CE), Cancer Mechanisms (CM), Molecular Therapeutics (MT), Cancer Imaging & Radiobiology (CIR), and Immunology & and Cancer Immunotherapy (ICI). Although organizationally based within Dartmouth?s Geisel School of Medicine, our academic faculty participation spans Dartmouth?s College of Arts & Sciences, Dartmouth?s Thayer School of Engineering, as well as medical care providers in Dartmouth- Hitchcock (DH) Medical Center, our clinical partner institution. We are engaged closely with campus-wide initiatives in clinical and translational research (Dartmouth?s CTSA) and population sciences (The Dartmouth Institute). The Center advances work in NCCC-designated priority areas by providing developmental funds to support the initial research efforts of new investigators, innovative and collaborative pilot projects, shared resources, and access to new technologies and methodologies. Shared Resources are a key investment in NCCC-wide core capabilities and nine are critical to facilitating cancer research: Biostatistics (BSR), Trace Elements (TE), Genomics & Molecular Biology (GMB), Bioinformatics (BISR), Immune Monitoring & Flow Cytometry (IMFC), Clinical Pharmacology (CP), Irradiation, Preclinical Imaging & Microscopy (IPIM); Pathology (PSR), and Transgenic & Genetic Constructs (TGC). We also have organized an Office of Clinical Research (OCR) to advance translation of research insights into clinical and population-based interventions. The OCR presently manages 3,005 subjects enrolled on 437 active studies. Transdisciplinary research is facilitated by NCCC?s organization of 11 Clinical Oncology disease teams. This current application reviews NCCC work that has resulted in 2,028 publications (nearly 17% in journals with impact factors >8) by the Members. The NCCC externally funded cancer research portfolio, which currently exceeds $54M annually in peer-reviewed support (>30% NCI), represents just under 50% of the entire peer-reviewed research portfolio at Dartmouth, illustrating the ability of Cancer Center Senior Leadership to organize campus-wide transdisciplinary collaborations that focus faculty investigators on resolving cancer-related problems." |