Moffitt gets millions for national genomics project
Stacey Snow
Staff Writer Sept 13,2002
Doctors may soon be able to tailor cancer treatments to a patient's genetic makeup, and pharmaceutical companies could manufacture more effective drugs.
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute plans to work on turning those possibilities into realities, with the help of a $3.2-million federal grant.
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Moffitt the grant to establish the National Functional Genomics Project.
Moffitt researchers intend to prove that identifying the unique makeup of each cancer cell will lead to treatments that kill it.
The project's research could result in better drugs to treat a variety of diseases, including cancer, heart disease or Alzheimer's disease, said Jack Pledger, Moffitt's deputy director, head of basic research and professor in Moffitt's Interdisciplinary Oncology Program with the University of South Florida.
The genomics project will allow government beneficiaries more rapid access to new technologies and advances in health care.
The first goal is to track genetic changes involved in cancer, creating a better understanding of hereditary and environmental influences that contribute to the disease. Researchers will also evaluate potential for commercial development of new technologies based on Moffitt's translational research — the application of laboratory results into patient care.
The implications for the Tampa cancer center are significant, Pledger said.
In the project's first year Moffitt will need to add between five and 10 new employees, including several scientists. However, as the program progresses along its five-year plan, as many as 100 new employees could be needed, Pledger said. The federal grant covers the first year of the program, but Pledger hopes more funding will be forthcoming as the project gains momentum.
The designation as the lead institution on the project also means more visibility for a cancer center working to enhance its national reputation. Moffitt, designated a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute, also was listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 cancer hospitals in the country.
"This is one of the things that helps you move up the ranks," Pledger said.
"Functional genomics is the hottest topic in cancer research today," stated Dr. William Dalton, Moffitt's chief executive officer and center director, in a release. "It could completely change the practice of medicine within five years."
The project will be a partnership between academia, government and industry. Moffitt researchers hope that will serve as a paradigm for future collaborations, Pledger said.
Getting pharmaceutical companies, medical manufacturers and other businesses involved will allow them to be at the forefront of new developments and to create products based on the latest in medical research, he said.
