Project Grant P50CA285275

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) awarded a $5,151,564 Project Grant (CFDA 93.397 - Cancer Centers Support Grants) to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (doing business as the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance) to establish a Translational Research Program in Colorectal Cancer Disparities. This 5-year program aims to reduce persistent racial and ethnic disparities in colorectal cancer incidence, mortality, and outcomes, with a focus on Alaska Native and African American populations.

The program will conduct four translational research projects supported by administrative, biospecimen, and biostatistics/bioinformatics cores. Key activities include: 1) developing risk prediction models to improve screening and early detection across diverse populations; 2) discovering and validating novel molecular and biological factors related to lethal colorectal cancer risk and treatment response in racially/ethnically diverse patients; and 3) identifying new therapeutic targets and testing interventions to reduce disparities. The program leverages a large, diverse biorepository and genomic dataset to drive these translational research objectives. Sub-awards to the University of Washington, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, University of California San Francisco, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, and Ochsner Clinic Foundation will contribute specialized expertise, data, and biospecimens to support the overall research aims.