Elisabeth Heath, M.D., FACP, leader of the Genitourinary Oncology Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and member of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials MDT at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, has received grant renewal from the U.S. Department of Defense to continue membership in the prestigious Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium (PCCTC) program.
The Prostate Cancer Clinical Consortium Award is a peer-reviewed, competitive grant. Peers include scientific researchers at universities and cancer centers across the nation. Karmanos has been part of the consortium since 2008. The award allows our physicians and researchers the opportunity to participate in numerous clinical trials, translate laboratory findings to the clinic and offer cutting-edge clinical trials to prostate cancer patients in Metro Detroit. The budget amount for the new four-year grant renewal is $1,847,997.
Dr. Heath will continue to direct Karmanos’ involvement in the consortium. Dr. Heath is the associate center director of Translational Sciences, professor of Oncology at Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine and the Patricia C. and E. Jan Hartmann Endowed Chair for Prostate Cancer Research at Karmanos and WSU.
“This grant has provided us with the opportunity to offer cutting edge clinical trials in prostate cancer,” said Dr. Heath. “We appreciate the collaboration and partnership with other PCCTC member sites and colleagues to advance science in prostate cancer.”
Dr. Heath’s co-principal investigator is Frank Cackowski, M.D., Ph.D., medical oncologist, member of the Genitourinary Oncology MDT and assistant professor of Oncology at WSU.
The Prostate Cancer Clinical Consortium Award was established in 2005 to support the collaborations and resources necessary to rapidly execute Phase II or Phase I/II clinical trials of therapeutic agents or approaches for the management or treatment of prostate cancer. The overarching goal of the award is to combine the efforts of leading investigators to bring to market novel therapeutic interventions that will ultimately decrease the overall impact of prostate cancer.