All National P20 Cancer and Aging Program Grant Awardees

o Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH $702,079 Nathan A. Berger, M.D.
Case Western proposes to leverage the resources and expertise of cancer and aging researchers associated with the Cancer Center; the Memory and Aging Center; the Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center; and other researchers and educators across the university. Priority areas for research will be treatment efficacy and tolerance, effects of comorbidity, and the biology of aging and cancer.

o Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute (MSKCC), New York, NY $582,000 George Bosl, M.D.
In developing an aging and cancer program, MSKCC will focus on four thematic areas: 1) psychosocial issues and medical effects; 2) patterns of care; 3) treatment efficacy and tolerance; and 4) biology of aging and cancer. Program development will be based on building additional infrastructure for clinical trials; developing protocols; a scientific oncology program for the elderly; pilot projects and collaborations; education and awareness; and a patient's advisory group.

o University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Pittsburgh, PA $652,000 Ronald Herberman, M.D.
The University of Pittsburgh will perform pilot research studies focusing on the immunobiology of cancer in elderly patients; develop, test, and disseminate aging-relevant measures of comorbidity, functioning, and outcomes; and develop appropriate interventions for older people with cancer. Focus areas will include clinical trials of treatment efficacy and tolerance, behavioral and social issues in older cancer patients, and the biology of aging.

o University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA $618,274 Robert Wallace, M.D.
The University of Iowa Cancer Center will team with the Center on Aging to focus on three thematic areas: 1) free radical biology and aging; 2) chemotherapy pharmacology in older cancer patients; and 3) effects of comorbidities on treatment outcomes. Two core facilities, a database for providing health care analytical data for original studies of co-morbidity and other epidemiological investigations of older cancer patients, and an analytical laboratory for pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic studies are being planned.

o H Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL $519,000 Paul Jacobsen, Ph.D.
Moffitt Cancer Center funds will support planning and educational activities in five thematic areas:
1) palliative care, end-of-life care, and pain relief; 2) psychosocial issues and medical effects; 3) biology of aging and cancer; 4) effects of comorbidity; 5) treatment efficacy and tolerance. In addition, funds will be used to support a shared resource in health outcomes measurement that will be used by investigators conducting aging and cancer research.

o University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI $586,000 Richard Weindruch, Ph.D.
UW-Madison has a long track record of studies on sociological, psychological, and biomedical aspects of aging and has formed a strong group of cancer biologists, gerontologists, oncologists, geriatricians, and populations scientists to address knowledge gaps in five thematic areas, including palliative care, patterns of care, effects of co-morbidity, psychosocial issues, and biology of aging. An aging/cancer mouse model resource and a laboratory to evaluate comorbidity factors will also be developed.

o University of Colorado, Denver, CO $653,000 Tim Byers, M.D.
The program of the University of Colorado will feature education within the Cancer Center and community; career development of scientists and academic clinicians in aging and cancer research; and the development of innovative pilot projects designed to lead to collaborative research in the etiology, prevention, and management of cancer in older patients. All seven thematic areas will ultimately be addressed through these mechanisms.

o University of Washington, Seattle, WA $663,999 Peter Rabinovitch, MD, PhD
The goal of the University of Washington is to support research and educational activities that will promote discovery and lay the foundation for significant improvement in the lives of older cancer patients. The university will fund a series of pilot projects, initially concentrating on the thematic area of the biology of aging; future proposed projects will involve all seven thematic areas.