©2005

MC5690

Advocacy for brain cancer: The SPORE worksclosely with the North American Brain TumorConsortium (NABTC), which provides supportthrough their website and telephone for braincancer patients and caregivers. NABTC and itscomponents are also active in increasingfunding support for research in brain cancer.

Administration: The SPORE is organizedthrough an Administrative Core and guided byan Executive Committee, with input fromExternal and Internal Advisory Committees.

Executive CommitteeBrian Patrick O’Neill, M.D.

(Overall Principal Investigator)Robert B. Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D.

(Overall Co-Principal Investigator)Jann N. Sarkaria, M.D.Evanthia Galanis, M.D, DScJoseph P. Loftus, Ph.D.Ping Yang, M.D., Ph.D.Caterina Giannini, MD., Ph.D.Karla Ballman, Ph.D.Jan C. Buckner, M.D.C. David James, Ph.D.

External Advisory CommitteeL. Yancey Gillespie, M.D., Ph.D.University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical CenterDavid H. Guttmann, M.D., Ph.D.Washington University School of MedicineMelissa Bondy, Ph.D.MD Anderson Cancer CenterWilliam Weiss, M.D.University of California, San FranciscoDavid Schiff, M.D.University of Virginia

www.mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic SPOREin Brain Cancer

A Specialized Program of Research

Excellence funded by the National

Cancer Institute (P50 CA108961)

Internal Advisory CommitteeDonald Tindall, Ph.D.Gloria Petersen, Ph.D.Thomas Witzig, M.D.Philip Greipp, M.D.Franklyn G. Prendergast, M.D., Ph.D., ex officio

For more information:Brian Patrick O’Neill, M.D.Principal InvestigatorMayo Clinic SPORE in Brain Cancerboneill@mayo.eduTelephone: 507-538-7275

SPORE Administrative AssistantMr. Les OttjesOttjes.leslie@mayo.eduTelephone: 507-538-7275

Cores: Five scientific Cores provide support toSPORE investigators

• Administrative (Core Directors: Brian Patrick O’Neill, M.D., Robert Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D.)

• Biostatistics (Core Director: Karla V. Ballman, Ph.D.)

• Pathology (Core Director: Caterina Giannini, M.D., Ph.D.)

• Xenograft(Core Director: C. David James, Ph.D.)

• Clinical (Core Director: Jan C. Buckner, M.D.)

Developmental Research Program: The SPOREfunds one to two pilot research projects annuallywith $50,000 awards. Projects must have hightranslational potential for brain cancer. Projectsare selected on a competitive basis followingreview by the SPORE Executive Committee andthe External Advisors.

Career Development Program: The SPOREfunds one promising young investigatorannually with a $50,000 award. Projects areselected on a competitive basis following reviewby the SPORE Executive Committee and theExternal Advisors.

Education: A digitized brain cancer tutorialcourse taught by SPORE investigators isavailable on the Mayo “intranet.”

Dr. Russell is the head of Molecular Medicineat Mayo and an internationally recognizedexpert in viral gene therapy of cancer andvascular disorders. Dr Raffel is aneurosurgeon with research and clinicalexperience in viral gene therapy. Together inProject 2 they will translate their researchinterests into novel therapeutics of newlydiagnosed malignant astrocytoma.

• Pyk2 as a Target for Therapeutics in GBM(Project leaders: Joseph C. Loftus, Ph.D.,Joon H. Uhm, M.D.). Dr. Loftus is abiochemist interesting in the signaltransduction mechanisms that underlie cellmotility. Dr. Uhm is a neurologist who isstudying the mechanisms of glioma cellmigration and invasion. Together in Project 3they will translate their research interests indeveloping and validating a specificintracellular molecule, Pyk2, and thendeveloping targeted therapeutics of gliomas.

• Association of Chromosome 19 q-armPolymorphisms with Glioma Development,Survival, and Response to Therapy (Projectleaders: Ping Yang, M.D., Ph.D., RobertJenkins, M.D., Ph.D.). Dr. Yang is anepidemiologist who is interested in definingpatient populations at risk of developingcancer. Dr. Jenkins is a molecular geneticistwho is interested in genetic mutations ingliomas, especially oligodendroglioma.Together in Project 4 they are translating theirresearch interests into defining those genesthat are associated with oligodendroglioma.

At a glance . . .

General Summary. The Mayo Clinic SPORE inBrain Cancer will support a multidisciplinaryteam of basic, clinical, and population scienceinvestigators to perform translational researchdirected at significantly reducing morbidityand mortality from brain cancer. The SPOREreflects the strengths of Mayo Clinic CancerCenter in basic, translational, clinical andclinical trials research in gliomas. Thetranslational research objectives of the SPOREwill be directed by a team of 14 investigatorsfrom 8 departments across all three Mayocampuses.

Projects: All of our projects have a scientificbasis with a translational trajectory.

• Optimizing EGFR Inhibitor-basedTherapies in Glioblastoma (Project leaders:Jann Sarkaria, M.D., C. David James, Ph.D.).Dr. Sarkaria is a radiation oncologist who isinterested in the cellular mechanisms ofglioma cell radioresistance. Dr. James is anexperimental pathologist who was amongthe first to identify that EGFR amplificationis common in gliomas and that the amplifiedEGFR gene is often mutated. Together inProject 1 they will translate their researchinterests into novel therapeutics of newlydiagnosed malignant astrocytoma.

• Targeted MV-CEA as a Potent AntitumorAgent against Glioblastoma (Project leaders:Evanthia Galanis, M.D, Stephen J. Russell,M.D., Ph.D., Corey Raffel, M.D., Ph.D.). Dr. Galanis is a medical oncologist who isdeveloping potent therapeutic transgenesutilizing the attenuated measles virus.