Last Updated: 04/06/07
Rapid Access to NCI Discovery Resources— for Academics and not-for-profits
http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/docs/rand/rand_index.html
Contact:
R•A•N•D
Office of the DTP Associate Director
301-496-8720, rand@dtpax2.ncifcrf.gov
The process of creating an effective, molecularly targeted cancer drug begins with basic research and the search for chemical compounds with potential anticancer properties and molecules within cancer cells and their surroundings that might provide targets for cancer interventions.
In 2001, NCI began Rapid Access to NCI Discovery Resources, or R•A•N•D, a program to provide DTP resources to academics in the earliest stages of finding promising therapeutics.
Recent advances in chemistry, molecular biology, bioinformatics, and high-throughput screening methods have increased the number of agents that can be screened and studied, but often require a large investment in equipment that most academics cannot afford. With the help of R•A•N•D, DTP hopes to accelerate the rate at which new compounds are studied for fighting cancer. Examples of preclinical discovery tasks that DTP can provide through R•A•N•D include, but are not limited to:
- Recombinant production and characterization of molecular target proteins
- Development and implementation of high-throughput screening assays
- Chemical synthesis for library generation, structure-activity studies, and lead optimization
- Bioassay-directed natural product isolation and characterization
- Early formulation, as well as pharmacokinetic, pharmacology, and toxicology studies
R•A•N•D is not a mechanism for obtaining grants. To access the laboratory-based services of the R•A•N•D program, academic researchers can submit applications to DTP twice a year, on April 1 and October 1. The applications, which provide a detailed summary of the proposed project, are reviewed by a panel of extramural experts who assess the strength of the hypothesis, novelty, and cost-benefit ratio. Once an application is accepted, R•A•N•D services are performed at no cost to the investigator by DTP laboratories. All output from the project is returned to the originator for further investigation.
Among the recipients of R•A•N•D services is Dr. Robert Silverman, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, whose research group is developing an assay suitable for high-throughput testing to aid in the discovery of a novel drug for late-stage prostate cancer. DTP will test compounds and perform computer-assisted analysis of the molecular targets. Dr. Nicholas Farrell, Virginia Commonwealth University, also benefited from R•A•N•D services after the program synthesized a potential anticancer compound for ovarian cancer and non-small cell lung cancer in sufficient quantities for his group to conduct pharmacokinetic studies.
