# Core-010

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2021 · $83,731

## Abstract

After receiving prior Developmental Funds during the project period as a Developing Core, the Circulating 
Tumor Cell Core is presented in this application as an Established Shared Resource. The overarching goal of 
this Core, which is fully managed by USC Norris, is to assemble a first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art, multiplatform 
facility for the capture and analysis of peripheral blood circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and to make 
leading-edge technology and expertise available to USC Norris members. The Core is led by Amir Goldkorn, 
MD, a genitourinary oncologist whose laboratory research focuses on developing the therapeutic and 
biomarker potential of circulating tumor cells, telomerase, and cancer stem cells. Dr. Goldkorn is PI of two NCI 
R01-funded translational laboratory studies of CTCs in Phase III multi-center cancer trials, as well as several 
other peer-reviewed grants for CTC analysis. Dr. Goldkorn’s team developed a novel microfilter technology for 
the capture of live CTCs from blood, and his laboratory has been developing and implementing several other 
CTC platforms. Under his leadership, the Core employs the leading CTC technologies to analyze samples from 
multiple clinical trials in a centralized facility. Such an approach allows for expert faculty and technical expertise 
and a reliable and consistent pathway for generating large-scale, reproducible CTC data. This new Shared 
Resource’s technical versatility and available clinical material offer unprecedented scientific opportunities for 
discovery and validation of new clinical biomarkers, biologic pathways and targets, as well as for optimization 
of novel platforms for CTC capture and analysis. Transitioning the facility from a Developing Core to an 
established Shared Resource will make CTC services more accessible to the cancer research community and 
further cement the growing role of CTC analysis in precision cancer care. Specifically, CTCs have emerged as 
valuable prognostic and predictive cancer biomarkers, providing a non-invasive “window” into disease biology 
and progression that can be sampled repeatedly over time from a simple blood draw. Thus, CTC 
characterization holds the promise of enabling real-time molecular phenotyping of individual cancer patients’ 
tumors at diagnosis and throughout treatment, advancing precision medicine in this important and vast patient 
group. The Core is therefore fully aligned with the mission and Strategic Plan of USC Norris.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10303172
- **Project number:** 3P30CA014089-45S7
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** CARYN LERMAN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $83,731
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1996-12-01 → 2021-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10303172

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10303172, Core-010 (3P30CA014089-45S7). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10303172. Licensed CC0.

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