The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) received a multimillion dollar support grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) after earning the NCI’s highest rating, “exceptional,” as well as a perfect 10 numeric score and being redesignated as a comprehensive cancer center following a 2015 site review.
“For over a year, leadership and members of our Comprehensive Cancer Center—from all corners of campus— worked together as a team to create and submit, in January 2015, the nearly 2,000-page competitive application to renew our NCI designation,” says OSUCCC Director and James CEO Michael A. Caligiuri, MD.
Accompanying the redesignation will be five more years of NCI grant support for OSUCCC – James scientific leadership and administration, shared technology and research resources, development of scientific goals, and collaboration among the more than 300 researchers in the OSUCCC’s five interdisciplinary research programs.
The five research programs are: Cancer Control; Leukemia Research; Translational Therapeutics; Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics; and Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention. Caligiuri says the support grant is critical to helping investigators in these programs continue translating research discoveries to innovative patient care and prevention strategies for people in Ohio and beyond.
“Last May, a peer-review team of cancer experts from across the nation selected by the NCI visited us for a day and a half to further evaluate all aspects of our center and the progress we have made over the last five years,” Caligiuri adds. “Based on our success in achieving a perfect score, I feel that the research work our researchers are doing at OSU is now being recognized at the national level as impactful and changing the landscape of cancer research.”
Ohio State thus retains its status as one of only 45 NCI designated comprehensive cancer centers, a distinction the university has competitively maintained since 1976. It is also the second consecutive time the cancer program has earned the NCI’s top rating, having done so following the 2010 site review.
“Our second consecutive ‘exceptional’ rating moves us into an elite group of cancer centers and represents amazing peer recognition that now spans a decade,” Caligiuri notes, “I sincerely congratulate all of our faculty and staff for the incredible work they do in advancing cancer research and, ultimately, cancer care.”
Caligiuri also praises members of the central Ohio community “who work tirelessly on our behalf to help support our innovative research through their incredible leadership and fundraising efforts. The OSUCCC – James is very fortunate to have such wonderful partners helping us pursue our vision of a cancer-free world.”