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Past DCB Research Programs

Tumor Microenvironment Network (TMEN)

Research funded through this program from 2006 - 2016 expanded our understanding of the role of the tumor microenvironment in cancer initiation, progression, and metastases. The research focused on generating a more comprehensive understanding of the composition of the stroma in normal tissues, with the goal of delineating the mechanisms of tumor-stromal interactions in human cancer.

Eleven research centers formed TMEN, an infrastructure that established repositories of critical reagents, resources, and information, as well as promoted and facilitated interdisciplinary collaborations and progress in understanding the role of host stroma in tumorigenesis.

In addition, TMEN had collaborative U01 programs that brought together a TMEN key investigator and scientists with expertise in other biological systems or organ sites not being modeled or studied within TMEN to form a new project in tumor microenvironment research.

New Approaches to Synthetic Lethality for Mutant KRAS-Dependent Cancers

The structure of the KRAS protein is visible in this artistic rendering.

Credit: National Cancer Institute

This program from 2015 – 2021 was a collaborative effort of DCB with NCI’s Office of the Director and Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD). The projects used next-generation approaches and model systems to identify new targets whose inhibition would induce synthetic lethality in cancers dependent on the expression of mutant KRAS.

Investigators supported by this initiative formed a collaborative network that encouraged the exchange of results and resources, participation in cross-validation of potential targets, and interacted regularly with the RAS Program team at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR).

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