Pancreatic SPORE Developmental Programs

Developmental Research Program

Director: Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.

The Mayo Clinic SPORE in Pancreatic Cancer Research makes every effort to maximize the number of innovative and high-quality projects in the Developmental Research Program (DRP). The goal of the DRP is to support innovative, scientifically sound research projects from which findings can be translated into clinically relevant applications that will impact screening, diagnosis, and management of pancreatic cancer.

The DRP will:

• encourage and solicit innovative translationally-relevant laboratory, population and clinical study proposals
• encourage and support interdisciplinary collaboration in translational research in pancreatic cancer
• generate new hypotheses that can be tested in larger-scale research projects or clinical trials that can impact pancreatic cancer

The DRP provides up to $50,000 (utilizing funds from both the SPORE grant and institutional resources) to 3 to 5 projects annually. A process has been successfully established to call for applications on an annual basis and to formally peer review submissions utilizing the expertise of the Scientific Advisory Committee and other experienced investigators. Criteria will be based upon scientific merit, originality, qualifications of the key personnel and interactions, and translational potential. It is our experience that support of developmental research projects results in the generation of new hypotheses that can potentially be addressed in existing SPORE-sponsored projects, or through peer reviewed external grant support.

Developmental Research (Pilot) Program Awards (Year 7)

Career Development Program

Director:  Fergus J. Couch, Ph.D.

The Career Development Program of the Mayo Clinic SPORE in Pancreatic Cancer is targeted to junior faculty career development early mid-career faculty who will commit to mentored career development in translational pancreatic cancer research. One of the starkest realities facing the contemporary research community is the paucity of experienced investigators involved in translational pancreatic cancer research. We have recognized the importance of attracting and nurturing individuals who would be committed to a pancreatic cancer research career. The core of senior pancreatic cancer researchers at Mayo Clinic, combined with highly productive investigators in other areas of cancer research, will form mentoring teams. Mayo Clinic has, by its seamless blend of patient care and basic and applied research facilities, an environment conducive to this type of mentored translational research. Mayo Clinic also has very competitive recruitment to faculty positions. There thus exists a continuous pool of outstanding scientists and clinicians (including talented female and minority investigators) who are early in their careers and who need exactly an impetus such as that offered by our SPORE's proposed Career Development Program to engage in translational research with a focus on pancreatic cancer. We will continue to implement our formal mechanisms for recruiting, selecting and evaluating awardees, and will ensure that awardees are integrated into the SPORE research environment. In all cases, we expect that recipients in the Career Development Program will build upon the resources allocated to them to develop independent funding in pancreatic cancer research.

Career Developmental Program Awards (Year 7)

• Core resources
• Projects
• Prior grant cycle (2003-2008) project summaries