Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (CCNEs)

The multi-disciplinary CCNE teams are the main venue for the discovery and tool development toward the application of nanotechnology to clinical oncology. CCNE teams are focused on integrated technology solutions and the aggressive development of these solutions from pre-clinical to clinical application. CCNEs are designed to enable multi-disciplinary team research by linking physical scientists, engineers and technologists working at the nanoscale with cancer biologists and oncologists specializing in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of cancer.

Carolina Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
University of North Carolina
Principal Investigators: Joseph DeSimone, Ph.D. and Joel Tepper, M.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop innovative and significant core technologies, PRINT (Particle Replication on Non-Wetting Templates) nanoparticles and carbon-nanotube-based x-ray sources for cancer therapy and early detection of lung, brain and breast cancer.

Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation
Stanford University
Principal Investigators: Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, M.D., Ph.D. and Shan Wang, Ph.D.
Scientific Focus: Design and implement novel in vitro diagnostic devices and verify their performance using in vivo imaging to monitor lung cancer therapy and for earlier detection of ovarian cancer.

Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins University
Principal Investigators: Peter Searson, Ph.D. and Martin Pomper, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop and integrate nanotechnology-based in vitro assays, targeted chemotherapy and immunotherapy for diagnosis, therapy and post-therapy monitoring of lung and pancreatic cancer.

Center for Translational Cancer Nanomedicine
Northeastern University
Principal Investigators: Vladimir Torchilin, Ph.D., D.Sc. and Nahum Goldberg, M.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop and characterize nanopreparations that will be tested in vitro and in vivo for their ability to kill tumor cells, with a particular focus on lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
Dartmouth College
Principal Investigators: Ian Baker, Ph.D., and Keith Paulsen, Ph.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop and use novel antibody-targeted magnetic iron/ iron oxide nanoparticles, which can be excited by alternate magnetic fields to induce localized hyperthermia in breast and ovarian cancer cells.

MIT-Harvard Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
MIT and Harvard University, Massachusetts General Hospital
Principal Investigators: Robert Langer, Sc.D., and Ralph Weissleder, M.D., Ph.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop and translate to the clinic a diversified portfolio of nanoscale devices for targeted drug and siRNA delivery, diagnostics, non-invasive imaging and molecular sensing for better diagnosis and treatment of melanoma, prostate and colon cancer.

Nanomaterials for Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics
Northwestern University
Principal Investigators: Chad Mirkin, Ph.D. and Steven T. Rosen, M.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop novel nanoscale technologies including highly innovative “nanoflares” for the detection of circulating cancer stem cells and the development of model matrices to clarify cancer biology processes. These technologies have potential clinical use for brain, pancreatic and breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Nanosystems Biology Cancer Center 2 (NSBCC)
California Institute of Technology
Principal Investigators: Jim Heath, Ph.D., Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D. and Michael Phelps, Ph.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop and validate tools for early detection, diagnosis and therapy of melanoma, glioblastoma and ovarian cancers through in vitro diagnostics, in vivo molecular imaging and targeted therapies, including adoptive T cell immunotherapies and siRNA delivery.

Texas Center for Cancer Nanomedicine
The University of Texas Health Science Center
Principal Investigators: David G. Gorenstein, Ph.D., Mauro Ferrari, Ph.D., Anil Sood, M.D. and G. Lopez-Berestein, M.D.
Scientific Focus: Develop and apply a diverse array of nanoplatforms for new therapeutics, methodologies for reliable monitoring of therapeutic efficacy, early detection approaches from biological fluids and advances in imaging, and cancer-prevention protocols for ovarian and pancreatic cancers.