MOLECULAR THERAPEUTICS – ABSTRACT The mission of the Molecular Therapeutics (MT) Program is to translate laboratory findings to the clinic and to facilitate collaborations between basic and clinical scientists, to improve the lives of patients with cancer by identifying new molecules, targets, and strategies for treating cancer. This highly interactive Program includes 50 members from 11 departments and 4 schools at Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI) Network and $3,031,514 in peer reviewed, cancer-related funding, of which $971,206 is from the NCI. Additionally, industry-sponsored clinical trial funding is $29,599,781. Program membership includes a cross section of laboratory-based and clinical investigators in the KCI who interact through programmatic activities and collaborate on research grants and investigator-initiated clinical trials. The scientific themes of the MT Program are to: 1) identify and validate novel therapeutics, targets, and pathways for selective tumor targeting; 2) identify cellular/molecular determinants and biomarkers of tumor response; and 3) validate effectiveness of new agents in interventional treatment trials. The MT Program focuses on new approaches for treating cancer, ranging from drug discovery to mechanism-based efforts emphasizing mechanisms-of-action of novel tumor-targeted and standard agents and critical signaling pathways, all with the goal of clinical translation. The interests of MT Program members include tumor metabolism, nuclear transporters, transcriptional targets, and signaling pathways, and extend to the impact of therapies on tumor-infiltrating immune cells. Biomarker research includes pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, cellular and molecular biomarkers, and molecular/genetic profiles predictive of responses to therapy and/or that lead to actionable therapies. A particular emphasis is on biomarkers relevant to cancer therapies between patient populations as treatment targets and for pe