# Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · EMORY UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $59,398

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
DISCOVERY & DEVELOPMENTAL THERAPEUTICS PROGRAM
The Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics (DDT) Program accelerates discoveries that drive cancer
diagnosis, detection, drug delivery, and therapeutic approaches with the premise that multidisciplinary
interactions among DDT members will advance highly innovative anti-cancer strategies. The program includes
three scientific themes: (1) Discovery, the discovery and evaluation of therapeutic targets and novel small
molecules; (2) Cancer Imaging, the development and/or utilization of in vivo imaging agents and technologies
for non-invasive diagnostic/therapeutic cancer applications; and (3) Developmental Therapeutics, human
interventional cancer trials using novel therapies and individualized treatment options by functioning as a
convergence point for translation of targets, imaging, therapeutic agents, and immunotherapies. The productive
bench to bedside research of DDT members furnishes a rich training environment for the next generation of
cancer researchers with integrated activities to promote biomedical science careers of under-represented
groups. Strong engagement with Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) drives prioritization of catchment
area needs in DDT programming and member research. The three scientific themes with COE priorities guide
the program’s activities and intra- and inter-programmatic research. Under the leadership of Haian Fu, PhD
(leader) and Kelly Goldsmith, MD (co-leader) the DDT Program includes 55 core members from 13 different
Emory departments who published a total of 1,272 cancer-relevant scientific articles during the current
funding period. Of these, 420(33%) were intra- and 373(29%) were inter-programmatic collaborations; 898
(71%) involved a collaboration with another cancer center or academic organization and 354(28%) were
published in journals with an impact factor ≥10. As of December 31, 2021, DDT members held $20.4 million
(direct) in annual cancer-relevant research funding, of which $6.9 million is peer-reviewed with $4.5 million
(65%) from the NCI. Notable new team science funding includes the NCI P50 Lung SPORE (MPI: Ramalingam,
Fu), successful renewal of NCTN Lead Academic Participation Site Award (UG1CA233247) in 2019 (MPI:
Higgins, Saba, Staley), one of twelve NCI/VA Navigate awards (Harris) to promote clinical trials accruals at the
Atlanta VA medical center, and NCI Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD2) network award
(U01CA217875). Impactful DDT scientific contributions over the past funding cycle include: i) Discovery and
development of MER-TK inhibitor MRX-2843 into a first in human Phase I clinical trial, ii) DDT discovery to FDA
approval of radiopharmaceutical fluciclovine for recurrent prostate cancer, iii) FDA approval of Abatacept for
acute graft versus host disease prevention and iv) leadership of multiple NCTN trials including Phase III trials
that ushered in new treatment paradigms for cancer. Built on Wins...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10848267
- **Project number:** 5P30CA138292-15
- **Recipient organization:** EMORY UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Haian Fu
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $59,398
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2009-04-07 → 2028-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10848267

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10848267, Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program (5P30CA138292-15). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10848267. Licensed CC0.

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