# Core D: Clinical

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · 2021 · $250,807

## Abstract

ABSTRACT: Core D: Clinical Research. The SPORE Clinical Research Core (CRC) has as its primary goal 
to be the direct translational link between research projects and clinical research emanating from these 
projects. The CRC is composed of the Clinical Trials Unit and the Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER). 
The specific aims are to: 1) coordinate and perform SPORE clinical trial protocols; 2) manage SPORE 
observational epidemiology protocols and partner with the MER. The CRC provides a critical link between 
clinical research and the specific projects, cores, and developmental research. The CRC is led by the Director, 
Thomas M. Habermann, MD, at the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center and a Co-Director Brian Link, MD, at the 
Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. A key function of the CRC is to coordinate the development of clinical 
trials, assist in patient accrual, manage protocol amendments, report adverse events to appropriate agencies, 
and provide comprehensive quality control on clinical trial data. For the MER, the CRC consents newly 
diagnosed lymphoma patients, abstracts and enters clinical and epidemiologic data, and systematically follows 
all MER patients through death. The CRC is linked to other SPORE cores providing SPORE investigators 
integrated and centralized access for projects. 
During the last funding cycle the CRC has been very active with 5 trials actively accruing patients and 4 new 
therapeutic trials initiated; overall 161 patients were accrued to these SPORE trials. Studies of novel agents 
such as the mTOR inhibitor everolimus were completed and published and moved to combinations with R- 
CHOP in the ALLIANCE National Clinical Trials Network group with promising results. Two trials using the 
immunostimulatory agent CpG were completed with CpG now incorporated into a new trial in Project 2. During 
the last funding cycle (through June, 2015), 2391 new patients were enrolled into the MER (cumulative total 
7605 patients). Seminal, practice-changing publications in the areas of utility of PET/CT surveillance scans in 
diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a new early endpoint - event-free survival (EFS24) for predicting long 
term DLBCL outcome, and transformation of follicular lymphoma (FL) in the rituximab era all originated from 
CRC research. The CRC also contributed to large genome-wide association studies in lymphoma, clinical 
observations in body mass index, complementary alternative medicine and trans fatty acid intake and risk were 
reported. 86 manuscripts have been published from activities involving this core in the last 4 years of this 
funding period. The CRC has worked with each of the Project Co-Leaders to plan the new clinical trials 
included in Projects 1-3 and continued use of the MER in Project 4. The CRC will also work with recipients of 
the Developmental Research Projects and Career Enhancement Program on any clinical or biomarker trials. 
The CRC has been vital to success of the SPORE and looks fo...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10208776
- **Project number:** 5P50CA097274-20
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
- **Principal Investigator:** BRIAN K. LINK
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $250,807
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2002-09-11 → 2023-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10208776

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10208776, Core D: Clinical (5P50CA097274-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10208776. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*
