SPORE in Endometrial Cancer

Core Director: Esther Lu, PhD

The Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core provides state-of-the-art statistical support for all Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE investigators and projects. The Core will provide statistical support on all aspects of study design, study execution and monitoring, database development and quality control, and data analysis and interpretation. Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core members have diverse expertise, and established long-term collaborations with SPORE members at Washington University, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and University of New Mexico. Their statistical expertise will support newly developing research themes of the SPORE projects, such as Bayesian adaptive trial design, immunotherapy and target therapy trial design, biomarker-guided personalized medicine study, next-generation sequencing, and high-throughput omics data analysis, monitoring minority accrual, OnCore, REDCap, and data management and analysis for clinical studies.

In Aim 1, the Core will provide biostatistics and bioinformatics collaborations for SPORE projects and Developmental Research Program studies.

In Aim 2, the Core will provide biostatistics and bioinformatics support and training to early-career investigators through the Career Enhancement Program.

In achieving its aims, the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core will ensure that robust statistical methods and reproducible omics analyses are available to support all Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE investigators.

Resources related to the Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core:

Siteman Biostatistics and Qualitative Research Shared Resource

OUHSC Biostatistics & Research Design Shared Resource

UNM Biostatistics Shared Resource

Core Co-Directors: Ian S. Hagemann, MD, PhD, Mark A. Watson, MD, PhD, and Gary J. Patti, MD, PhD

The goals of the Biospecimen, Metabolomics, and Pathology (BMP) Core are to provide high-quality, clinically annotated biospecimens, pathology expertise, and metabolomics and spatial profiling analysis platforms to all three projects and future Developmental Research Program and Career Enhancement Program projects in the Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE, and to serve as a resource to the broader endometrial cancer research community. The BMP Core is structured as a federated biospecimen resource spanning the three institutions: Washington University in St. Louis, University of New Mexico, and University of Oklahoma. The biospecimen storage and distribution component of the BMP Core leverages the extensive infrastructure of the three existing institutional Cancer Center biobanks with over 40 years of combined experience.

Specific Aim 1: Support biospecimen collection, processing, annotation, and quality review and provide metabolomic and spatial profiling analyses for all projects in the Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE.

Specific Aim 2: Provide a high-quality, clinically annotated resource of endometrial cancer biospecimens for translational research projects both within and external to the SPORE.

Resources related to the BMP Core:

Gynecologic Oncology Tissue Bank

Tissue Procurement Core – SCC

Center for Proteomics, Metabolomics, and Isotope Tracing

OUHSC Tissue Pathology & Biospecimen

UNM Human Tissue Repository

Organizational structure of the BMP Core. HTR-TASR, Human Tissue Repository and Tissue Analysis Shared Resource; OUHSC, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center; PDX, patient-derived xenograft; SCC, Siteman Cancer Center; TMAs, tissue microarrays; TPSR, Tissue Pathology Shared Resource; UNM, University of New Mexico; WUSTL, Washington University in St. Louis.

Co-Directors: David Mutch, MD; Doris Benbrook, PhD, University of Oklahoma; and, Carolyn Muller, MD, University of New Mexico

Program Application Information

Proposals for the first cycle of the Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE Career Enhancement Program are being accepted until May 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM CST. Review the SPORE CEP Request For Proposals for more information.

For additional information, please contact Veronica Davé, PhD, SPORE Administrator ([email protected]).

SPORE CEP Overview

The goal of the Career Enhancement Program (CEP) is to recruit and support early career and established investigators in translational endometrial cancer research. The CEP builds upon existing productive collaborations between outstanding researchers with expertise in translational endometrial cancer at Washington University, University of New Mexico, and University of Oklahoma. We will further enhance these collaborations by providing funding support, didactic training, career development and mentoring to new investigators in the field.

Award Details:
• Award amount up to $50,000 in direct costs for one year. Budget requests up to $75,000 will be considered only with a unique scope of work and a strong budget justification.
• Project period: August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026
• Award may be renewed for another year contingent on adequate progress, availability of funds, and strategic priorities. Maximum award duration is limited to 2 years.
• The number of awards and the award amount may increase or decrease depending on funding available. Amount requested should reflect what is needed to achieve study objectives, not to maximize amount awarded.

Eligibility:
• Early career faculty or established investigators who wish to develop or refocus their careers on translational research in endometrial cancer with emphasis on etiology, prevention, diagnosis, early detection, treatment, endometrial cancer disparities, or population science.
• Senior level post-doctoral or clinical fellows who provide a letter from their Department Chair or Division Director stating that candidate will join its faculty by the time of the award.
• Awardees must be faculty members from one of the partner institutions: Washington University, University of New Mexico, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
• Faculty from groups underrepresented in biomedical research and all individuals are encouraged to apply.
• Projects that utilize SPORE or institutional shared resources (Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core, Biospecimen, Metabolomics, and Pathology Core, Gynecologic Oncology Tissue Bank, etc.) are specifically encouraged.

The CEP will support new investigators, improve our understanding of the spectrum of endometrial cancer, and develop new approaches for early detection, prevention, and treatment of this prevalent cancer. Our ultimate goal is to build a strong inclusive CEP program that mentors investigators to achieve successful careers in translational endometrial cancer research with the skills to develop an independent SPORE project and vibrant research careers.

Director: Kimberly Leslie, MD, University of New Mexico

Co-Directors: Dineo Khabele, MD and Kathleen Moore, MD, University of Oklahoma

Program Application Information

Proposals for the first cycle of the Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE Developmental Research Program are being accepted until May 1, 2025, at 5:00 PM CST. Review the SPORE DRP Request for Proposals for more information.

SPORE DRP Overview

The overall goals of the Route 66 Endometrial Cancer SPORE Developmental Research Program (DRP) are to support innovative, early-stage research in endometrial cancer, to develop pilot projects to the point of inclusion as full SPORE projects and increase the number of investigators committed to endometrial cancer.

The DRP provides one- to two-year pilot funding for projects in basic, translational, clinical, epidemiologic, and cancer prevention and control research. The DRP is open to all three participating institutions in the SPORE: Washington University in St. Louis, University of Oklahoma, and University of New Mexico.

Award Details:
• Award amount up to $50,000 in direct costs for one year. Budget requests up to $75,000 will be considered only with a unique scope of work and a strong budget justification.
• Project period: August 1, 2025 – July 31, 2026
• Award may be renewed for another year contingent on adequate progress, availability of funds, and strategic priorities. Maximum award duration is limited to 2 years.
• The number of awards and the award amount may increase or decrease depending on funding available. Amount requested should reflect what is needed to achieve study objectives, not to maximize amount awarded.

Eligibility:
• Independent faculty members (instructor level or higher at the time of award) from any of the three partner institutions: Washington University, University of New Mexico, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
• Faculty from groups underrepresented in biomedical research and all individuals are encouraged to apply.
• Projects that utilize SPORE or institutional shared resources (Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Core, Biospecimen, Metabolomics, and Pathology Core, Gynecologic Oncology Tissue Bank, etc.) are specifically encouraged.

We fully anticipate that one or more DRP projects will be elevated to full SPORE projects in the next funding period. Additionally, new investigators will leverage DRP support to develop their projects, obtain preliminary data, and secure external funding and thus establish their careers in endometrial cancer research. Finally, established investigators who are new to the field will apply their knowledge and expertise to the field of endometrial cancer.