# Enhancement of Cancer Research at Clark Atlanta University

> **NIH NIH U54** · CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $115,150

## Abstract

Summary
Clark Atlanta University (CAU) is a comprehensive, private, urban, coeducational institution of higher education
with a predominantly African-American heritage. It offers undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees as
well as certificate programs to students of diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The Center
for Cancer Research and Therapeutic Development (CCRTD) was established at CAU in 1999 with direct
support from the NIH/RCMI program. CCRTD faculty was derived from the Departments of Biological Sciences,
Chemistry and School of Education with research interests in cancer biology, drug discovery and behavioral
aspects of cancer. In 2004, we decided to build a comprehensive research and educational program which will
focus on prostate cancer and its impact in the African-American community. In 2005, the Center was designated
as CAU's University-wide Center of Excellence to a) develop a core group of internationally known scientists,
that will carry-out highly productive basic research in cancer cell biology and molecular biology and contribute in
the development of successful therapeutic strategies to combat cancer., b) train undergraduate and graduate
students and post-doctoral fellows in the area of cancer biology and, hence, help develop the future generation
of African-American scientists of the highest caliber. And c) establish an educational program to increase
awareness for prevention, early detection and treatment of cancers, especially those which disproportionately
affect the African-American community. As a consequence of targeted recruitment of faculty and staff over the
past 12 years, CCRTD is currently one of the largest centers of its kind in the nation with a unique and
comprehensive program to combat prostate cancer. We recruited 9 tenure-track faculty members with
established expertise in the area of cell and molecular biology of cancer. They established their research
programs at CCRTD which focus on understanding molecular mechanisms in the development and progression
of prostate cancer and also on the biological basis of higher incidence and development of more advanced
disease at an earlier age in African-American men. In order to provide state-of-the art research infrastructure to
carry out cutting-edge cell and molecular biology research, CCRTD has developed research core laboratories to
support research activities of faculty, staff and students. These core facilities have undergone significant
expansion throughout the past several years. We have also been actively engaged in the research training and
education of both undergraduate and graduate students in the area of prostate cancer biology. Our community
outreach has established dynamic educational and community based research programs which serve the
African-American community in the metro Atlanta and beyond. The current proposal seeks to expand and
enhance current research and educational activities at CCRTD and will focus on three s...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10373131
- **Project number:** 3U54MD007590-34S1
- **Recipient organization:** CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Shafiq A Khan
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $115,150
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1997-06-01 → 2024-02-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10373131

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10373131, Enhancement of Cancer Research at Clark Atlanta University (3U54MD007590-34S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10373131. Licensed CC0.

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