Center for Cancer Prevention Research

Director: C.S. Yang (Chemical Biology)
Associate Director: Allan Conney (Chemical Biology)
Associate Director: Tony Kong (Pharmaceutics)

Primary Objective.
   The major objective of the Center for Cancer Prevention Research is to conduct fundamental research that will lead to the development of effective approaches and agents for the prevention of cancer. The Center will bring together scientists from different disciplines and will serve as a focal point for basic cancer prevention research in New Jersey. It will enhance our research capabilities by expanding research facilities, recruiting outstanding researchers, and building partnerships with industry.

Development of the Center.
   Based on our understanding of the causes and the molecular alterations that lead to cancer, we believe that a large portion of cancer is preventable. The success stories of Tamoxifen in breast cancer prevention and aspirin in colon cancer prevention, the recent results with Proscar and prostate cancer prevention, as well as the association of fruit and vegetable consumption with a lower cancer risk, suggest a great potential for cancer prevention.
    Allan Conney, Chung S. Yang, and their associates in the Department of Chemical Biology in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy have a long history of studying the mechanisms of carcinogenesis and cancer prevention. Some of the chemopreventive agents that they have discovered are under extensive investigation by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in intramural and extramural programs. The development of a Program Project on tea and cancer prevention (funded by the NCI), by Chung S. Yang, Allan Conney, Chi-Tang Ho (Department of Food Science), Weichung Joe Shih (UMDNJ), and Zigang Dong (University of Minnesota), greatly enhanced our research strength. The research team has been further strengthened by the addition of Tony Kong and Xiaoxin Chen as well as the recent recruitment of Nanjoo Suh. The recent recruit of Dr. Bandaru Reddy greatly increased our strength in colon cancer prevention research.
    The Center for Cancer Prevention Research was developed with strong support from Dean John Colaizzi and the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It consists of faculty members from the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, other units at Rutgers University, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ), UMDNJ, and other academic institutions. We also have strong collaborative ties to other academic institutions and to industry. A list of members of the Center and some of the funded research projects are shown in Research Projects.

Projects and Strength of the Center.
   As illustrated in Research Projects, we have research strength in cancer prevention by dietary chemicals and synthetic drugs in animal models. Animal models for skin, oral, esophagus, intestinal, colorectal, lung, and mammary carcinogenesis are currently being used. We also conduct mechanistic studies on factors that inhibit cell growth, enhance apoptosis, inhibit inflammation and angiogenesis, and modulate signal transduction pathways. We also have strength in the evaluation of the bioavailability and metabolism of chemopreventive agents. At Rutgers, the Center's research is supported by one Program Project grant, eleven R01 grants, other grants, and four contracts on cancer prevention from the NIH. We have a total NIH funding of about $5MM for Year 2003 and more than $17 MM for the period of 2003 to 2007. We are currently preparing a U-54 Cooperative Program grant application to become one of the NCI supported centers to study prevention of cancer by dietary constituents. It is prudent and timely to take immediate steps to strengthen our Center to increase our competitiveness.

Mission and Future Plans.
   The mission of this Center is to conduct fundamental/mechanistic research that will lead to the reduction of cancer incidence in humans. Cancer prevention is in its infancy, and strong mechanistic research is needed to develop this important field. We plan to expand our studies on the use of dietary constituents and synthetic drugs as chemopreventive agents. We will increase our research efforts on agents that selectively induce apoptosis in neoplastic and pre-neoplastic cells, specific inhibitors of the arachidonic acid metabolism pathways, and receptor modulators. Based on mechanistic considerations, we believe that combinations of low dose pharmaceutical agents and dietary constituents will have a great potential for use in cancer prevention. We plan to discover novel targets and biomarkers for cancer chemoprevention by conducting integrated mechanistic studies in vivo and in vitro. This research will help discover and design new chemopreventive agents.
    Our Center members are also key investigators of the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program (Leader: C.S. Yang) of CINJ. We will enhance our translational research in humans to test the effectiveness of promising cancer chemopreventive agents in collaboration with the CINJ. We will expand our partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and the food industry. Our Center was a key component and major strength in the proposal titled "New Jersey Institute for Chemical and Pharmaceutical Science" that was previously submitted to the New Jersey Commission on Jobs Growth and Economic Development. Because of our strength, we were also invited to participate in the proposals of the "Marine Biotech Center" and "Food, Nutrition and Nutragenomics Institute for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases".

Scientific Impact.
   Cancer is a major disease in New Jersey and throughout the world. Although we are making progress in achieving a basic understanding of the molecular abnormalities in cancer and in developing effective therapies for the treatment of cancer, there are still poor cure rates for many cancers. There is enormous human suffering and social costs in dealing with this disease. The development of effective approaches and agents for the prevention of cancer based on a mechanistic understanding of carcinogenesis is a very promising area of research.
    The successful development of effective cancer chemopreventive agents will benefit society immensely. Currently, the pharmaceutical industry has not put a major effort into the development of cancer chemopreventive agents, because this area has not yet matured. We hope that the Center for Cancer Prevention Research will lead this field of study and make new discoveries that will enhance our mechanistic understanding of cancer prevention. This research is expected to help the pharmaceutical industry develop new cancer preventive agents and to help the food industry make products that reduce cancer risk. The Center will train the next generation of scientists in cancer prevention research. The Center will also help train future pharmacists and other professionals who will have an increasingly important role in educating the public on approaches to reduce cancer risk, particularly involving diet and nutritional factors.