Online Exclusive: ACRA Winner to Present Research on Molecular Markers
Academic biomedical research today almost entirely depends on extramural funding," said Lajos Pusztai, MD, PhD, of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, in an interview with ASCO Daily News. The ASCO Cancer Foundation offers six grants to fund opportunities for oncology fellows, mentored training and career development, and professorships. Dr. Pusztai is one of this year's recipients of the Advanced Clinical Research Award (ACRA), which provides funding to investigators for clinical cancer research that has a patient-oriented focus. This funding will allow him "to continue research that may not have been possible without this award." Dr. Pusztai's ACRA is supported by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Dr. Pusztai's research examines putative response markers in prospectively conducted phase II trials, similar to the testing of novel drugs. In his study, he will demonstrate two strategies for discovering molecular predictors of response to therapy that may be used to select patients for treatment.
The first approach will compare molecular features of cancers with known clinical responses, and the second will focus on examining putative predictors in preclinical models and will test them in human clinical trials. "The current proposal aims to complement our research portfolio and start a program to test a priori defined candidate response markers in metastatic disease," Dr. Pusztai wrote in his summary of the study's background.
Three distinct genomic predictors for dasatinib therapy will be tested including a 161-gene signature developed from cell lines, a 46-gene src pathway activity signature, and a 19-gene dasatinib target index. Dr. Pusztai and his research team predict that molecular markers that are predictive of response in a cancer cell line or other experimental models also will predict response in human breast cancer. The goal of this trial is to identify predictors with clinically relevant positive predictive values. "We envision a broad program that will simultaneously evaluate multiple markers and several different drugs," Dr. Pusztai said.
The Past and Future of Oncology Dr. Pusztai became interested in oncology in high school when he read about oncogenes and aberrant cell signaling. His mother, an internist in oncology, used to tell him that oncology was a "sad" branch of medicine that needed major discoveries and further research.
"I have been drawn to science since my early years in school and meddled in several fields before settling in biology and medicine," Dr. Pusztai said. He believes that different branches of science have emerged and have become pre-eminent focuses during different points in history; "in our time, I believe [the focus is on] molecular biology," he added.
The future of oncology, according to Dr. Pusztai, lies in the appearance of several new drugs with entirely novel mechanisms of action. Such drugs offer an incredible therapeutic benefit and represent a new beginning in drug development.
Recipient Selection Process To be eligible for the ACRA, applicants must have 5 to 10 years of experience after final subspecialty training, have a full-time faculty appointment in a clinical department at an academic center, have completed their postdoctoral/postfellowship research, and have shown the ability to undertake independent investigator-initiated clinical research. Applicants also must be active members of ASCO and expect to spend 75% of their time on the research for which the award was granted.
To be considered for the grant, applicants must submit a letter of intent, which includes an oncologist's contact information, ASCO Member Identification number, advanced training completion date, title of the proposed study, 350-word accompanying abstract, and list of collaborators. They also must submit a biosketch, personal statement (350 words maximum), approved budget, project narrative, two letters of support, any other support forms, and proof of institutional approval.
Applications are reviewed and recipients are selected by members of the ACRA Cancer Subcommittees who look for several criteria.
Patient-oriented research involving human subjects
Significance and originality of the proposed study and hypothesis
Appropriateness, feasibility, and adequacy of the proposed design and methodology
Availability of resources to support the project
Applicant's prior research experience and accomplishments
Applicant's potential favorable effect on career development
The grant is paid to the sponsoring institution in increments over 3 years, which will begin on July 1, 2008 for Dr. Pusztai. Throughout the grant period, recipients must report annually and finally on their progress, and they must summarize the use of their funds.
