Contact:

George S. Johnson, Ph.D.
Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
National Cancer Institute
Executive Plaza North, Room 841
6130 Executive Blvd.
Bethesda, MD 20892-7456
Telephone: (301) 496-8783
FAX: (301) 402-5200
E-mail: gj16m@nih.gov

Objective of Project:

This RFA will provide a flexible system within the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) ans Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to support the extensive and costly research for development of cancer drugs and vaccines from basic discovery to proof of principle in clinical trials.

Description of Project:

Recent advances in all branches of medical sciences provide new insights into the underlying mechanisms in malignance and suggest new targets and approaches for therapy. For example, key regulatory pathways are being delineated, genes mutated in cancer cells have been identified, array technology for expression of thousand genes as well as computer-assisted evaluation of data are available, new technologies in chemistry allow facile synthesis of millions of new chemicals, and high resolution structures of important target proteins are becoming available.

Application or translation of these discoveries into clinical benefit is a lengthy and costly process. Following initial discovery, efficacy testing and optimization, lead compounds must undergo a series of of rigorous evaluations culminating with the clinical trial. This RFA will expedite cancer therapeutic development by small business by providing a flexible system for research support at all stages of drug and vaccine development including initial clinical trials.