National Cancer Institute awards $25 million to Stanford centers

The National Cancer Institute has awarded more than $25 million over the coming five years to two centers at the School of Medicine to develop new diagnostic techniques and therapies, as well as advance the understanding of basic cancer cell biology. SANJIV “SAM” GAMBHIR, professor of radiology, is the principal investigator for both grants.

One of the grants is for approximately $10 million and helps to support the In Vivo Cellular and Molecular Imaging Center (ICMIC), which brings together investigators from across the university in the fields of chemistry, materials science and engineering, molecular imaging, oncology, cancer biology, protein engineering, biostatistics and mathematical modeling.

The second award, which is for about $15 million, goes to the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence and Translation, which like the ICMIC fosters interdisciplinary work. Faculty from radiology, bioengineering, materials science, oncology and other departments collaborate in the center’s efforts to use and develop nanotechnology to improve cancer patient management by, for instance, promoting earlier cancer detection and better monitoring of responses to anti-cancer therapy.

Read the full story on the School of Medicine’s website.