November 11, 2011
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center (OSUCCC) has received a 5-year, $23 million core grant renewal from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to support its broad range of clinical, research and educational programs focused on creating cancer-free world. This award follows a rigorous review process by the NCI, including a site visit by 28 scientists from other universities, which led to OSUCCC's rating of "exceptional," which'is the highest possible rating.
The OSUCCC will retain its elite designation as an NCI "comprehensive" cancer center, a coveted status held by only 41 institutions nationwide. This is the largest core grant Ohio State has ever received, and represents a 23.8 percent increase from the amount awarded in 2005, which was the last time NCI reviewed Ohio State's cancer program.
"This award validates the remarkable cancer research being conducted at Ohio State," said Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee. "I am grateful of the recognition of the work of our NCI-funded researchers, who collaborate across the University and across the nation to find cures and give hope to thousands of people every day."
Dr.Michael Caligiuri, director of Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute said, "This core grant is truly transformative and validates the commitment for resources dedicated to cancer research across the spectrum at Ohio State. The money provided to us by the NCI is critical for our infrastructure and facilitation of groundbreaking research to prevent, detect, treat and cure cancer." Through Dr. Caligiuri's vision and the hard work of many, the NCI reviewers wrote that the OSUCCC is "the model for other matrix university-based centers."
Ohio State has been recognized with "comprehensive" status since 1976. The designation is awarded only to cancer centers that show that they make substantial research contributions in the all the critical areas of cancer research, namely basic, clinical and population sciences. The center was evaluated for scientific impact, improving cancer care and clinical trials enrollment, and service to the community. For OSUCCC, the NCI reviewers characterized these activities as "exceptional."
The core grant is the major funding source for scientific leadership and administration, and for shared technology and services provided to more than 250 cancer researchers, representing a vast number of disciplines from 11 of the 14 colleges at Ohio State.
The core grant importantly stimulates the Ohio's economy. Studies have shown that for every $1 invested in scientific research and development research in the Columbus metropolitan results in a more than $2 return.
"As we move forward building the new James Cancer Hospital, this core grant funding will help us recruit the best and brightest minds to Ohio State by leveraging our status as the only NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center with a freestanding cancer hospital attached to an academic medical center on the campus of one of the largest universities in the country," added Caligiuri.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute strives to create a cancer-free world by integrating scientific research with excellence in education and patient-centered care, a strategy that leads to better methods of prevention, detection and treatment. Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to conduct both phase I and phase II clinical trials. The NCI recently rated Ohio State's cancer program as "exceptional," the highest rating given by NCI survey teams. As the cancer program's 210-bed adult patient-care component, The James is a "Top Hospital" as named by the Leapfrog Group and one of the top 20 cancer hospitals in the nation as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
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Contact: Eileen Scahill, Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations, 614-293-3737, or Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu