Cancer Center Support Grant P30

University Of California At Davis, Davis CA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCDCCC) is a matrix organization under the aegis of the UC Davis Health and University of California, Davis. It received NCI-designation in 2002 and comprehensive status in 2012. Primo N. Lara, Jr., MD was appointed Cancer Center Director in 2018, overseeing 129 Full Members, five Research Programs, eight Shared Resources, and a robust clinical program. UCDCCC is the only NCI- designated Cancer Center located in the Central Valley of Northern California and thus is best positioned to address the cancer burden of this large geographical region which includes one of the nation’s most productive agricultural regions. UCDCCC aims to leverage the unique resources and strengths of UC Davis to reduce the cancer burden through establishment and promotion of high-impact interdisciplinary cancer-focused research as represented by three Trans-Center Themes: 1) Cancer Risk Mitigation and Early Detection; 2) Innovative Cancer Models and Technologies; and 3) Precision Imaging and Therapy. These themes take advantage of UC Davis’ strengths and expertise in: Human Health Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Agriculture, and Environmental Science. As the region's only academic health center, UC Davis Health encompasses the UC Davis Medical Center, the UC Davis School of Medicine, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, and a distributed system of ambulatory centers. In addition to its nationally ranked NCI-designated UCDCCC, UC Davis is home to the nation’s #1-ranked schools of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture/Environmental Sciences and is regarded as one of the country’s leading Engineering, Business, and Life Sciences institutions. Seven new Research Initiatives, Tumor-specific Innovation Groups, Disease Team Committees, and other interdisciplinary teams enhance collaborative interactions and proposals with a focus on translating basic and technological findings into team science grants and investigator-initiated trials. The highly diverse catchment area of 19 counties surrounding Sacramento county is benefited through, among other activities, impactful research directed towards the most lethal cancers affecting the area; outreach and engagement efforts to mitigate cancer health disparities and cancer-promoting behaviors; a city-wide early phase clinical trials program; a broad Cancer Care Network through which the resources and expertise of a comprehensive cancer center are brought to disadvantaged and rural areas while keeping patients in their home communities; and the deployment of innovative new technologies such as the world’s most powerful PET scanner EXPLORER, invented by UCDCCC scientists. With renewed and strong institutional commitment and authorities for its Director, UCDCCC is now better positioned than ever before to generate highly impactful discoveries that leverage the unique strengths of one of the nation’s leading public universities to benefit its highly diverse catchment area and beyond.