# Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2021 · $258,639

## Abstract

ONCOLOGY PRECISION THERAPEUTICS AND IMAGING CORE: PROJECT SUMMARY
The Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core (OPTIC) is the result of incorporation of precision
therapeutic capabilities into the existing Small Animal Imaging Shared Resource the goal of providing fully
integrated and comprehensive services in translational oncology for the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer
Center (HICCC) members. These include providing access to imaging equipment/infrastructure, assistance in
technical procedures, regulatory support, and user education. Under the leadership of Kenneth Olive, PhD the
mission of OPTIC dovetails with a campus-wide initiative in personalized medicine, and complements more
clinically focused efforts such as the HICCC’s Precision Oncology Initiative. During the current project period
(2014-2019), the HICCC has made numerous major investments in OPTIC, including: the installation of a high-
field 9.4T small animal MRI, the purchase of a new IVIS Spectrum optical imager, and support for the launch of
precision therapeutic services. OPTIC services fall into three broad categories: (1) the generation of new
personalized cancer models from primary patient materials, (2) execution of translational therapeutic studies in
mouse models of cancer on behalf of users, and (3) small animal imaging services, including
bioluminescent/fluorescent, ultrasound, micro CT, and high-field MR imaging. In support of these efforts, OPTIC
has established Institutional Review Board (IRB) and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)
protocols, generated a set of IACUC-approved master protocols for imaging that may be easily referenced by
user laboratories, and integrated a complete pipeline of protocols for the generation, characterization, utilization,
and imaging of a broad variety of tumor models. As part of the OPTIC pipeline for characterizing novel cancer
models, OPTIC collaborates closely with other Shared Resources at the HICCC including: Genomics and High
Throughput Screening, Proteomics and Macromolecular Crystallography, Molecular Pathology, DataBase, and
Cancer Biostatistics SRs. In addition to providing basic and advanced imaging and experimental therapeutics
services, the highly experienced imaging and translational scientists of OPTIC also provide consultation and
training to HICCC members in experimental design, instrument operation, and data analysis, which facilitates
the incorporation of advanced experimental therapeutics into the research portfolio of HICCC members. Over
the current project period, the capabilities of OPTIC were utilized by 39 HICCC members, provided key data and
insights for 42 peer-reviewed research grants and 16 HICCC member peer-reviewed publications including 11
papers in journals with impact factor >10 of which 8 were in journals with impact factor >20 (Nature, Cell, Nature
Medicine, Cancer Cell). Currently, OPTIC supports research for 28 NIH-funded grants, 17 from NCI.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10245187
- **Project number:** 5P30CA013696-46
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Kenneth P. Olive
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $258,639
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-07-04 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10245187

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10245187, Oncology Precision Therapeutics and Imaging Core (5P30CA013696-46). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10245187. Licensed CC0.

---

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