# Clinical and Translational Oncology Program (CTOP)

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2024 · $79,506

## Abstract

CLINICAL & TRANSLATIONAL ONCOLOGY PROGRAM: ABSTRACT
The overarching goal of the Clinical & Translational Oncology Program (CTOP) is to bring together basic and
clinical scientists to transform scientific discoveries into clinical applications in pursuit of the broader University
of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) mission to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer in the Catchment Area and
beyond. CTOP is a redesigned program that emerged from the long-standing Therapeutic Development
Program. After rigorous review and addition of new imaging-focused members, the renamed Program
expanded its focus from drug development to the full spectrum of translational and clinical research involving
human subjects with cancer. CTOP is structured around three Specific Aims: (1) discover and optimize new
agents, biomarkers, and imaging modalities for therapeutic translation; (2) develop mechanistic investigator-
initiated trials (IITs) for translation or reverse translation; and (3) conduct clinical trials testing the efficacy of
new or repurposed therapies. Critical advances in agent discovery and optimization in the past funding period
include the FDA approval of afamelanotide for protection of skin from sun-induced UV mutagenesis, discovery
of novel compounds for blocking autophagy and iron acquisition in tumors, discovery of numerous compounds
that modulate oncogenic signaling, and identification of non-addictive lead compounds for the management of
pain specifically from cancer or its treatment. CTOP Members have established a robust pipeline of IITs,
including window-of-opportunity and integral biomarker designs, for mechanistic translation. During the current
5-year funding period, CTOP enrolled 2,534 patients to clinical trials including 1,167 to interventional treatment
trials (233 IITs), representing a 6.8 fold increase compared to the prior period. High-impact IITs include those
evaluating first-in-class NAE inhibitor pevonedistat in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML); repurposing
bendamustine for preventing graft-vs-host disease in haplo-identical bone marrow transplant, of importance for
UACC’s Catchment Area population; evaluating NVX-108 to enhance radiotherapy for glioblastoma multiforme;
evaluating ficlatuzumab, an anti-HGF monoclonal antibody (mAb), in head and neck cancer; and evaluating
dronabinol for opioid-dependent, bone-metastatic breast cancer. CTOP’s 52 Members have a peer-reviewed
funding base of $4.9M (direct costs) of which $2.2M (45%) is from the National Cancer Institute, $2.6M (53%)
from other National Institutes of Health sources, and $0.1M (2%) from other peer-reviewed sources,
representing a 17% increase in peer-reviewed funding. CTOP Members were awarded 35 MPI grants totaling
$23.5M in cancer-relevant direct costs. These MPIs included 14 R01s, two P01s, one U54s, and partnerships
with 28 institutions across the country, of which four were NCI-designated cancer centers. Since 2016,
Members authored 386 cancer-relevant publications, of whi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10895995
- **Project number:** 5P30CA023074-43
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** Steffan T Nawrocki
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $79,506
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1997-07-01 → 2027-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10895995

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10895995, Clinical and Translational Oncology Program (CTOP) (5P30CA023074-43). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10895995. Licensed CC0.

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