The Cervical Cancer
SPORE is a highly interactive and multidisciplinary program
incorporating six projects and three cores. Their
interconnection is depicted in the chart below. The relationships that exist among many of
the participating investigators are already well-established and
have resulted in productive developments and opportunities, as
demonstrated by joint authored research articles,
cooperation on grants, and translational
application of some research developments in clinical trials.
Although Dr. Cho is now at the University of Michigan, she was on
the faculty of Johns Hopkins from 1990 to 1998. During that time,
she worked closely with Drs. Wu, Kurman, Shah, Armstrong, and
Trimble. Cross-fertilization between projects and investigators is
ensured by elements of the SPORE’s design. First, all projects are
led by at least two investigators whose interest and knowledge span
basic and clinical areas. Second, investigators are frequently
involved in more than one project, demonstrating the extent of
collaborations between investigators across several project areas,
i.e. Dr. Cho in Projects 1 and 2, Dr. Roden in Projects 3 and 4, Dr.
Pardoll in projects 4 and 5 and Dr. Wu in Projects 5 and 6, which
should enhance the achievement of the SPORE’s goals. Finally, all
projects take advantage of a single Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Core led by Dr. Mei-Cheng Wang, an experienced biostatistician with
a research interest in clinical trial design. The Tissue and
Pathology Core led by Dr. Robert J. Kurman, a pathologist, provides consistent
specimen handling and analysis. This common core support provides
consistency and economy, and will also foster collaboration within
the program.
Several formal
mechanisms of information exchange will continue to foster
collaboration and sharing of resources and data. First, project
investigators will gather once a week for discussions of progress
and directions. Second, all SPORE investigators will meet monthly
to review progress in research as well as directions and
considerations for the future. Drs. Cho and Johnston will
participate in the monthly progress meetings by conference call and
will attend the quarterly meetings in person or participate by video
conference. Third, all SPORE investigators will meet quarterly to review SPORE
operations, overall progress, and future plans. Fourth, many SPORE
investigators regularly attend Departmental Research Conferences
every week. Finally, all Principal investigators, Core Directors,
and their Co-PI’s will serve on the steering committee.
Participants on the steering committee will attend meetings and
seminars where the scientific progress and direction of the SPORE
will be discussed every 3 months. At least once per year, all PI's
and key personnel will attend a meeting where the external and
internal advisors (letters of participation enclosed) will be
present. Critical evaluation of the work in progress and future
direction will be discussed assuring close collaboration and
interaction between all members of the SPORE program. All of these
mechanisms will facilitate open communication between members of the
SPORE.
We recognize
the value of inter-SPORE collaborations and interactions. The
NCI-organized annual SPORE meetings for the sharing of data,
identification of new research opportunities, and discussion of
research priorities represents an integral component of the SPORE.
These meetings allow for the interchange of
ideas and stimulate new approaches. Preparations for the meetings involve a review of abstracts of research progress, part of the
planned annual meeting review of our SPORE. The workshop is also
used to initiate and to facilitate inter-SPORE collaborations. Each
year, our SPORE will send the maximum number permitted to attend and
will submit the maximum number of abstracts to ensure the most
productive interaction.
We
anticipate working with funded SPOREs in HPV-associated cancers,
including GYN SPOREs and head and neck SPOREs. In addition, the
Johns Hopkins investigators have daily contact with the current
Johns Hopkins SPORE investigators (Breast, Lung, Prostate, and
Gastrointestinal SPOREs). We will interact with and utilize shared
SPORE resources of the funded SPOREs at Hopkins, including the
Tissue Array Core established by the Prostate SPORE, the DNA
Microarray Core established by the Lung SPORE, and the Human
Specimen Resource Database Core of the Breast SPORE. Similarly,
Drs. Cho and Johnston have a close professional relationship with
the current SPORE investigators at the University of Michigan (i.e.
Prostate SPORE). The Johns Hopkins cervical cancer SPORE team
includes numerous individuals with a track record of
multiinstitutional research efforts in HPV research, immunology, and
cancer treatment. Dr. Keerti Shah, for example, organized the 12th
International Papillomavirus Conference in Baltimore in 1993. Dr.
Armstrong is PI of several phase II and III trials conducted by the
NCI’s Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) as well as a member of the
GOG’s Medical Oncology Committee. Dr. Trimble, a member of the
GOG’s Pathology and Cancer Prevention and Control Committees, has
led an effort within the GOG to draft a master protocol for phase II
trials of chemopreventive agents and vaccine in women with CIN3.
She also runs the subcommittee on preinvasive cervical cancer care.
Thus, the investigators at Johns Hopkins and the University of
Michigan have many existing interactions with other institutions in
cervical cancer research and patient care.
The cores that are
established by the SPORE program will also serve to enhance
collaborations. Core A, the Administration and Communication Core
led by Dr. T.-C. Wu will oversee and coordinate
the activities of the SPORE, to facilitate collaborative
relationships, review the extent of interactions and collaborations,
and direct future efforts to promote cooperation between projects
and cores. This Core will be involved in the data and safety
monitoring of clinical trials. Core B, the Biostatistics and
Bioinformatics Core led by Dr. Mei-Cheng Wang will assist with the
appropriate design of experimental protocols and clinical trials and
will serve for centralized collection, analysis, and integrated
interpretation of the data generated from each of the projects with
patients’ clinical information. From statistical analyses, it will
be possible to identify the most relevant parameters that correlate
with diagnostic, prognostic, preventive, and therapeutic factors.
Furthermore, centralization of data from each project and
compilation of patients’ clinical information by this core will
substantially reduce overall cost and manpower needs while allowing
SPORE investigators broad and secure access to data from each
project. This Core will also contribute to the data and safety
monitoring of clinical trials. Core C, the Tissue and Pathology
Core will be run by Dr. Robert Kurman. This
core functions as a resource for coordinating and providing high
quality, well-characterized tissue/cell material to laboratories
involved in the SPORE program. Through centralized distribution of
specimens, each project will be ensured to receive research material
from the same groups of patients to foster comparisons and
correlations. Centralizing and coordinating patient specimens and
information through this core will lower costs and manpower needs.
