# Molecular Therapeutics

> **NIH NIH P30** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $46,248

## Abstract

MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS – ABSTRACT
The mission of the Molecular Therapeutics (MT) Program is to translate laboratory findings to the clinic and to
facilitate collaborations between basic and clinical scientists, to improve the lives of patients with cancer by
identifying new molecules, targets, and strategies for treating cancer. This highly interactive Program includes
50 members from 11 departments and 4 schools at Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute
(KCI) Network and $3,031,514 in peer reviewed, cancer-related funding, of which $971,206 is from the NCI.
Additionally, industry-sponsored clinical trial funding is $29,599,781. Program membership includes a cross
section of laboratory-based and clinical investigators in the KCI who interact through programmatic activities and
collaborate on research grants and investigator-initiated clinical trials. The scientific themes of the MT Program
are to: 1) identify and validate novel therapeutics, targets and pathways for selective tumor targeting; 2) identify
cellular/molecular determinants and biomarkers of tumor response; and 3) validate effectiveness of new agents
in interventional treatment trials. The MT Program focuses on new approaches for treating cancer, ranging from
drug discovery to mechanism-based efforts emphasizing mechanisms-of-action of novel tumor-targeted and
standard agents and critical signaling pathways, all with the goal of clinical translation. The interests of MT
members include tumor metabolism, nuclear transporters, transcriptional targets, and signaling pathways, and
extend to the impact of therapy on tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Biomarker research includes pharmacokinetics
and pharmacodynamics, cellular and molecular biomarkers and molecular/genetic profiles predictive of
responses to therapy and/or that lead to actionable therapies. A particular emphasis is on biomarkers relevant
to cancer disparities between African American and white patients as treatment targets and for personalized
treatment trials. Research in the MT Program draws from our nationally/internationally recognized clinical trials
program at KCI, which employs tumor profiling (including genomic profiling) to facilitate enrollment on phase I
and early phase II trials and to identify patients most likely to respond to particular treatments. Phase II clinical
trials draw from basic laboratory findings, culminating in investigator-initiated clinical trials. MT members lead
phase III trials, often working with multi-center teams and cooperative groups. MT Program members study all
major cancer types including those that occur at high incidence in the KCI catchment area. These initiatives have
helped define cancer health disparities in our catchment area, identify racial differences in tumor biology, and
led to enrollment of large numbers of African Americans in clinical trials. The overriding goal of the MT Program
is to conduct and deliver patient-centered cancer research and treatment to...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10088978
- **Project number:** 2P30CA022453-39
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Larry H Matherly
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $46,248
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1997-08-08 → 2025-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10088978

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10088978, Molecular Therapeutics (2P30CA022453-39). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10088978. Licensed CC0.

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