Experimental Therapeutics
Overview
The goal of the Experimental Therapeutics Program is to increase the number of investigator-initiated clinical trials that are built upon basic scientific observations made in the laboratory. These trials address specific research hypotheses, focus on relevant molecular endpoint analyses, are driven by the results of these analyses and feed back to the laboratory to generate new basic research questions.
Several of these translational research trials have been completed or are currently ongoing at Moffitt. Thus, translational research is the primary objective of the Experimental Therapeutics Program and is emphasized through working groups comprising basic laboratory scientists and clinical investigators. To facilitate the growth of hypothesis-driven clinical trials, the Physician-Scientist Mentorship Program and the Clinical Research Mentorship Program have been expanded at the Center. In addition, several seminar series have been instituted to foster collaborations between basic and clinical researchers. Finally, an Experimental Therapeutics Pilot Project funding mechanism has been initiated this year; this project helps junior faculty members generate preliminary data through the Translational Research Laboratory, with the ultimate goal of submitting grant proposals to NIH peer-reviewed programs. The ultimate goal of the Experimental Therapeutics Program is to develop more effective therapies for the treatment of cancer.
Leadership
Eric Haura, MD
Program Leader, Experimental Therapeutics
He received his B.S. in biomedical engineering from Johns Hopkins in 1990, M.D. from Duke University in 1994, completed his residency at Johns Hopkins, and completed a clinical fellowship in Hematology & Oncology and a research fellowship in Genetics at Duke University. He is board certified in Medical Oncology. Dr. Haura joined Moffitt Cancer Center in July 2000 and was appointed Program Leader in 2008.
He is an Associate Member in the Thoracic Department and a well-funded investigator. He is the PI on an NCI R01 grant and one of the P50 Lung SPORE projects and has authored many early phase investigator-initiated trials. He has more than 50 publications, including publications in Cancer Research, Oncogene, New England Journal of Medicine and Nature Clinical Practice Oncology.
He has served as a reviewer for numerous journals including Oncogene, Cancer, and Cancer Research. He serves on the editorial board for the journal Human Genomics and Proteomics. He has also served on numerous study sections including recently as an NIH a SPORE reviewer. He presently serves as a temporary member of the NIH Study Section for Basic Mechanism of Cancer Therapeutics.
He is a member of many professional organizations including the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, the American Association for Cancer Research and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
His research interests include oncogenic signal transduction pathways involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer. The major focus of his lab has been on understanding the role of tyrosine kinase and STAT signaling in lung cancer. He has a special interest in management of lifelong non-smokers with lung cancer.