Research & Training: Brain Tumor SPORE
Overview
Approximately 20,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with malignant brain tumors each year. The diagnosis of brain tumor covers a variety of histologies, from the typically benign meningioma to the highly malignant glioblastoma multiforme. Although considerable effort has been made to improve the therapy of CNS tumors, the five-year survival rate for individuals with brain tumors remains approximately 25 percent. These data suggest that brain tumors remain a significant health problem in the U.S., and that efforts need to be made to improve patient survival.
The UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE comprises four translational projects focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumors by applying laboratory advances to the clinical setting. The initiative also includes a Career Development Program to support and encourage new and/or young investigators in translational brain tumor research, and a Developmental Research Program to provide initial funding of promising projects which, over a two-year period may develop into full SPORE projects.
The UCSF Brain Tumor SPORE is led by Mitchel S. Berger, MD, who is responsible for overall management as well as Michael D. Prados, MD and Russell O. Pieper, PhD. Dr. Prados serves as the clinical co-PI providing clinical input into each of the projects and oversees the translation of the proposed work into clinical trials. Dr. Pieper serves as the basic science co-PI advising on the science underlying each of the SPORE projects. Working together, they oversee and facilitate the translation of the work from the lab to the clinic changing the way we detect, diagnose, and treat brain cancer. A Steering Committee includes Mitchel Berger, Michael Prados, Russell O. Pieper, PhD, Susan Chang, MD, C. David James, PhD and Arie Perry, MD. An External Advisory Board provides yearly input and evaluation, as well as long-term strategic support.
To facilitate both the accomplishment of the SPORE’s work and the spread of information derived from this work, Administrative and Tissue Cores are included in addition to the four research projects. The Administrative Core facilitates interactions among projects, manages budgets, coordinates meetings, and provides administrative support. The Tissue Core supplements and expands a facility that already exists in the UCSF Neurologic Oncology Program.
The Brain Tumor SPORE represents the translational research component of the Cancer Center’s Neurologic Oncology Program, which brings together neurosurgeons, neuro-oncologists, and basic scientists with the shared goal of improving the therapy of brain tumors. The program encompasses the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery, which is rated among the five best Departments of Neurosurgery in America by US News and World Report and is a national referral center for brain tumors; the UCSF neuro-oncology service, which is the home to several national clinical trial consortiums and enrolls over 200 patients per year in clinical trials; the basic scientists who comprise the UCSF Brain Tumor Research Center; and other UCSF investigators.
