# Drug Discovery, Delivery, and Translational Therapeutics Research Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2021 · $32,020

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 
 The Drug Discovery, Delivery and Translational Therapeutics (DT) Program at the Markey Cancer Center 
(MCC) is scientifically focused on identifying novel targets and biomarkers and discovering and developing 
new drugs targeting these biomarkers. The MCC catchment area population has both a high cancer risk 
related to excessive carcinogen exposure and lack of access to cutting-edge clinical trials due to geographical 
isolation and poor socioeconomic status. The DT program vision is to understand the unique molecular and 
phenotypic markers of cancer in Kentucky as well as barriers to accessing care and integrate that knowledge 
to inform drug discovery, development, and delivery of early phase clinical trial efforts for a hard-to-reach 
Appalachian Kentucky population. MCC investigators are international leaders in biomarker discovery (Theme 
1) with ongoing translational studies including more than 600 participants, evaluating the role of environmental 
carcinogens and identifying biomarkers of lung cancer. DT pharmaceutical scientists work to discover and 
develop new anticancer agents targeting identified mutations and phenotypes (Theme 2), partnering with 
Cancer Cell Biology and Signaling (CS) and Genomic Instability, Epigenetics, and Metabolism (GEM) program 
members. For example, a novel modulator of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation, a validated colon cancer target, was 
identified from the Appalachian natural products repository. DT investigators lead clinical trials focusing on 
cancers relevant to the catchment area (Theme 3) and have enrolled more than 500 patients to lung, colon and 
ovarian interventional treatment and diagnostic trials. They regularly partner with Cancer Prevention and 
Control (CP), CS and GEM program members to inform and advance MCC basic science, for example, 
translating early identification of the anticancer activity of PAR-4 in CS to clinical trials focused on a PAR-4 
secratagogue. DT is a cross-disciplinary program of 47 investigators from 6 colleges and 18 departments who 
work together to develop novel anticancer therapies and translate these therapies into the clinic. This 
productive program has total annual external cancer-related funding of $8.5M ($5.9M annual direct costs, of 
which 28% is from the NCI). Members published 366 publications over the current funding period, 99 (27%) of 
which are inter-programmatic, 84 (23%) are intra-programmatic, and 189 (52%) are inter-institutional. The DT 
program Co-leaders, Drs. Jill Kolesar and Jon Thorson, have a long-standing collaboration and bring 
complementary expertise in biomarker discovery, drug development, and early clinical trials. Both direct key 
resources supporting the DT program, the MCC Precision Medicine Center and the UK Center for 
Pharmaceutical Innovation, respectively. Each leader brings critical strengths including local, national and 
international collaborations, entrepreneurial relationships, and active participati...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10204892
- **Project number:** 5P30CA177558-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jill Marie Kolesar
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $32,020
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2013-07-08 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10204892

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10204892, Drug Discovery, Delivery, and Translational Therapeutics Research Program (5P30CA177558-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10204892. Licensed CC0.

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