The Developmental Research Program is an important component of the SPORE and critical to the long-term fight against cervical cancer. It provides an avenue for soliciting new research ideas and for developing innovative high-risk, but high-impact projects to stimulate cervical cancer research in the context of the SPORE. Pilot studies provide investigators with the resources to conduct translational research consistent with the SPORE’s objectives. This program will encourage participation from a broad range of investigators at Johns Hopkins and University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) by providing support for pilot projects with the potential to develop into more fully developed translational projects. It will also encourage and facilitate the development of new research directions, methodologies, and collaborations. In addition, the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins also provides $75,000 annually as match funds for the Developmental Research Program. UAB will also contribute $40,000 annually to be used in the Career Development or Developmental Research program.
T.-C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D. will continue to serve as Administrative Coordinator of the Developmental Research Program (DRP) and Drew M. Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D. will serve as the Scientific Review Committee Chair. The DRP is a major focus of the SPORE because it allows for a continuous flow of innovative ideas and activity to stimulate investigation in the context of SPORE translational research. The DRP provides a means to respond to new opportunities, and is designed to encourage and facilitate new research efforts. The Program takes advantage of the broad expertise of researchers at JHU, UCB, and UAB, bringing in researchers from different fields (i.e. otolaryngology, immunology, molecular biology, biostatistics, epidemiology and genetics etc.), and provides funds for pilot projects with potential for development into full-fledged translational research avenues, collaborations, and new methodologies for integration into other Research Projects.
The mechanism for identifying and funding innovative research is demonstrated in Chart 1. The solicitation is done by announcements of the availability of funding placed in the official JHU, UCB, and UAB newsletters, on an institution-wide intranet, on institutional website announcements, emails, and recommendations from the Advisory Panel to reach investigators in all departments and programs. Additionally, an RFA is sent to the minority institutions that collaborate with JHU, UCB, and UAB, including, but not limited to Howard University, Tuskegee University and Morehouse School of Medicine. Memoranda are sent to all department chairpersons and relevant Division heads to announce the yearly solicitation. Notices will be posted around the biomedical research campuses by the research coordinators. The required proposal format is brief in order to encourage responses and clarity by investigators.
The application will consist of a 2-page scientific proposal (broken out into sections: hypothesis, specific aims, background, preliminary data, methods, and potential relevance to cervical cancer), NIH budget and justification pages, and NIH biosketches. The candidate projects submitted to the program are reviewed by the Scientific Review Committee.
The role of the Scientific Review Committee is to rate the applications along seven categories:
- Novelty
- Focus of experimental plan
- Preliminary data or logical rationale
- Likely efficiency to achieve the anticipated advance
- Potential translational impact of the advance
- Prospects for fostering faculty and extra-SPORE interactions
- Prospects as a future major project within the SPORE
Each application will be rated according to the following scale:
- Outstanding (1.0 – 1.5)
- Excellent (1.6 – 2.0)
- Very good (2.1 – 3.0)
- Good (3.1 – 4.0)
- Acceptable (4.1 – 5.0)
- Not responsive to Program guidelines
Successful applicants and their chairpersons will be notified in writing within the first three months of the new SPORE fiscal year. Carry-over funding beyond the twelfth month will be generally permitted for optimal performance of each year’s allotted project funding. Funded projects can apply in the following year for an additional year of funding, with a limit of two years within this Program.
Cervical Cancer SPORE Steering Committee
| Name | Institution | Position | Expertise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D. | JHU | Scientific Review Committee Chair | Molecular biology and immunology |
| T.-C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D. | JHU | SPORE PI, Co-Leader of Projects 2 and 4, Co-Director of Core A | HPV vaccines, immunology and pathology |
| Warner Huh, M.D. | UAB | Clinical Research Director for SPORE, Co-Leader of Project 1, Co-Director of Core A | Clinical trials, gynecologic oncology and pathology |
| Richard Roden, M.D. | JHU | Co-Leader of Projects 1 and 3 | HPV molecular virology and immunology |
| Robert Garcea, M.D. | UC | Co-Leader of Project 1 | HPV molecular virology and immunology |
| Chien-Fu Hung, Ph.D. | JHU | Co-Leader of Projects 2 | HPV vaccines, immunology, and pathology |
| Jean Anderson, M.D. | JHU | Co-Leader of Project 2 | Clinical trials, gynecology and obstetrics, cervical cancer |
| Charles (Trey) Leath, III, M.D. | UAB | Co-Leader of Project 3 | Clinical trials, gynecologic oncology |
| Chenguang Wang, Ph.D. | JHU | Co-Director of Core B | Biostatistics and data management |
| Anne Rositch, Ph.D. | JHU | Co-Director of Core B | Epidemiology, biostatistics and data management |
| Sejong Bae, Ph.D. | UAB | Co-Director of Core B | Biostatistics and data management |
| Raphael Viscidi, M.D. | JHU | Co-Director of Core C | Virology, Serology |
| Lawrence Lamb, Ph.D. | UAB | Co-Director of Core C | Cervical cancer pathology, cell therapy |
| Russell Vang, M.D. | JHU | Co-Director of Core C | Gynecologic pathology |
| Donald Buchsbaum, Ph.D. | UC | Co-Leader of Career Enhancement Program | Immunology |
The evaluation and monitoring mechanism of the SPORE will pay particular attention to the DRP, with the SPORE Steering Committee taking a leading role. The funded investigators are expected to attend and present regularly to the SPORE quarterly meeting and will receive feedback on their projects. As discussed in the Administration/Communication Core (Core A), the flexible SPORE funding mechanism will allow the Steering Committee to respond to especially productive years of solicitation. For example, we can increase the Developmental Research Projects budget using the Discovery Fund from the JHU School of Medicine to allow the funding of an additional attractive application.
Funded Projects 2020:
• Van Thi Ha Nghiem, Ph.D., MSPH. – UAB, Health Care Organization and Policy. Project Title: Feasibility and acceptability of home-based self-collected human papillomavirus testing to improve cervical cancer screening among underserved women in Alabama
• Kellie Smith, Ph.D. – JHU Pathology. Project Title: Prevalence and dynamics of HPV-specific T cells following therapeutic vaccination
• Chien-Fu Hung, Ph.D. – JHU, Pathology. Project Title: Targeting the phosphatidylserine immune checkpoint for treatment of HPV+ cervical cancer
• Chuan-Hsiang (Bear) Huang, M.D., Ph.D.- JHU Pathology. Project Title: Targeting the PI3K-FAK axis in cervical cancer