# Making cancer precision medicine real: bottlenecks and opportunities

> **NIH NIH R35** · BROAD INSTITUTE, INC. · 2021 · $844,357

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The concept of cancer precision medicine is simple: patient treatments are guided by the molecular features of
their tumor. In practice, however, the situation is more complex. Only a minority of patients at present benefit
from the approach. A number of scientific challenges must be overcome before cancer precision medicine can
become a reality for all patients. These challenges are the focus on the present research proposal. For
example, we now know that gene expression, not DNA-level aberrations, are the most predictive of drug
response, and yet the entire clinical genomic testing enterprise is focused on DNA. We therefore need to
develop methods suitable for quantitative RNA-based diagnostics, likely using emerging single cell and in situ
sequencing methods. In addition, we must develop comprehensive maps using preclinical models that make it
possible to predict drug sensitivity (and genetic vulnerabilities) given the molecular features of the tumor. This
will require expanding our repertoire of cell models (to include organoids, short-term primary tumor cultures
and models that combine tumor cells and immune cells), developing more sophisticated read-outs of drug
action beyond viability, and also developing new insights into the influence of the tumor microenvironment on
mediating cell survival and drug resistance. The present proposal aims to address these challenges over the 7
years ahead by developing new methods and datasets that will accelerate cancer precision medicine research
throughout the research community.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246428
- **Project number:** 5R35CA242457-03
- **Recipient organization:** BROAD INSTITUTE, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** TODD R. GOLUB
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $844,357
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-16 → 2026-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246428

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246428, Making cancer precision medicine real: bottlenecks and opportunities (5R35CA242457-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246428. Licensed CC0.

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