Adding An additional Study Section in the Oncological Sciences IRG

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Adding An additional Study Section in the
Oncological Sciences IRG

• Elliot Postow, PhD
• Director
• Division of Biological Basis of Disease
• Center for Scientific Review
• National Institutes of Health

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Workload Distribution
Review Cycle
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Chronology of EventsFor a New Study Section
(MONC) in ONC IRG

• First meeting of Special Emphasis Panel
• June 27-28, 2005
• Letter of invitation sent to members of a Working
  Group
• March 13, 2006
• Teleconference to develop guidelines
• April 17, 2006
• Guidelines finalized
• May 8, 2006
• Presentation to PRAC
• May 22, 2006
• First meeting of the MONC study section
• October 16-17, 2006

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Oncological Sciences MONC-Working Group, 2006

• Chairperson
• Korc, Murray, MD
• Chair,
• Department of Medicine
• Dartmouth Medical School
• Members
• Augenlicht, Leonard H, PhD
• Professor of Medicine Cell Biology
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine
• Gallick, Gary, PhD
• Professor
• Department of Cancer Biology
• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Grandis, Jennifer, R., MD
• Professor
• Department of Otolaryngology/ Pharmacology

• Mietz, Judy, PhD
• Program Director
• National Cancer Institute
• Murphy, Maureen E., PhD
• Member, Department of Pharmacology
• Fox Chase Cancer Center
• Spalholz, Barbara, PhD
• Program Director
• National Cancer Institute
• Wellstein, Anton, MD, PhD
• Professor
• Department of Oncology
• Lombardi Cancer Center Georgetown University

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Cancer Etiology (CE) Guidelines

• CE reviews grant applications related to the
  causal agents, processes, and cells involved in
  early events in carcinogenesis. Areas included
  within CE involve gene regulation, DNA damage and
  repair mechanisms, chemical and viral
  carcinogenesis. Emphasis is on linking chemistry
  and pathology to study the etiology of cancer.
• Specific areas covered by CE include
• Gene regulation including transcription factors,
  RNA stability and processing, as they contribute
  to carcinogenesis.
• DNA damage and repair mechanisms related to
  carcinogenesis.
• Chemically- and environmentally-induced
  carcinogenesis.
• Identification of causal agents such as
  xenobiotics, DNA adducts, endogenous and
  exogenous compounds that modulate early events in
  carcinogenesis.
• Responses to stress such as free radicals,
  oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species as
  they contribute to the carcinogenic process.
• Metabolism of endogenous and exogenous compounds
  that lead to carcinogenesis
• Contribution of viruses, other than HIV/AIDS, to
  carcinogenesis.

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Molecular Oncogenesis (MONC) Guidelines

• MONC reviews grant applications that focus on
  the early molecular events that lead to oncogenic
  transformation such as the identification of
  oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes alterations
  in signaling, growth, and cell cycle control
  pathways and protein stability/degradation
  mechanisms. Applications dealing with normal
  developmental processes as they pertain to
  oncogenic transformation are also reviewed.
• Specific areas covered by MONC include
• Identification of oncogenes and tumor suppressor
  genes or alterations in their expression or
  function that may contribute to oncogenic
  transformation. (CAMP)
• Alterations in signal transduction pathways that
  may modulate or lead to oncogenic transformation.
  (CAMP, CE, TCB)
• Proteasome-mediated degradation Mechanisms
  and/or alterations of protein stability that
  could contribute to transformation, including
  post-translation modification such as
  ubiquitylation or sumoylation. (CE)
• Cell cycle regulation and dysregulation that may
  contribute to early oncogenic transformation.
  (CAMP, TCB)
• Mechanisms of immortalization as a prerequisite
  for oncogenic transformation. (CAMP, CE)
• Biology of progenitor cells, including the
  identification and characterization of cancer
  stem cells that may be involved in oncogenic
  transformation. (CAMP)

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Cancer Molecular Pathobiology (CAMP) Guidelines

• CAMP reviews applications involving
  pathology of the malignant cell with the emphasis
  on mechanisms controlling cell growth and death,
  and the molecular events in gene regulation.
• Specific areas covered by CAMP include
• Oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and their
  pathways in oncogenesis.
• Gene regulation including chromatin structure and
  remodeling, RNA stability, transcription and
  translation relevant to oncogenesis.
• Signaling transduction pathways related to the
  regulation of cell growth in cancer.
• Role of characterized stem cells in oncogenesis.
• Mechanisms of overcoming senescence in the
  context of oncogenesis
• Cell death pathways (both apoptotic and
  non-apoptotic) in cancer.
• Mechanisms of oncogenesis mediated by telomeres
  and telomerase.

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Tumor Cell Biology (TCB) Guidelines

• TCB reviews grant applications focusing on
  signal transduction and growth factor regulation
  in neoplasias and tumor progression.
• Specific areas covered by TCB include
• Signal transduction mediated by protein kinases,
  phosphatases, and other proteins, including
  signaling mediated by hypoxia, inflammation, and
  nutrient sensing mechanisms.
• Signaling by cell surface receptors, growth
  factors, cytokines, and associated proteins. This
  includes analyses of the composition, formation
  and functioning of signaling complexes in tumor
  progression and in tumor cells.
• Analysis of interactions among signaling pathways
  in tumor cells and tumor progression.
• Pathways regulated by oncogenes and tumor
  suppressor genes how these genes alter signaling
  in neoplasms and the consequences of these
  alterations on tumor cell phenotype and
  physiology.
• Hormonal modulation of carcinogenesis, including
  endocrine signaling as it relates to
  tumorigenesis, steroid metabolism, and hormone
  receptors.
• Differentiation and transdifferentiation in
  neoplasias.
• Signal transduction mediated by the cytoskeleton
  as it relates to tumorigenesis and tumor
  progression.

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Distribution of workload for the 2006/05 review
cycle with and without the new study section
(MONC)
CAMP
Without the new study section
CE
57
TCB
24
19
With the new study section
MONC
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Discussants

• Dean E. Brenner, MD
• Faye Calhoun, PhD