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Multidisciplinary
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The Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence
Washington University CCNE
Private Sector
Affiliations
The Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (SCCNE) at Washington University, in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the Alvin Siteman Cancer Center, is providing a research and clinical resource in the Midwest for both the fundamental exploration of nanotechnologies applied to cancer, and also their translation, commercialization, and application in the clinical environment. Washington University is devoting substantial new resources to both the SCC and the SCCNE, and indeed to translational research in general through its announced "Biomed 21" Initiative to raise $300 million dollars to devote to multidisciplinary research and translational activities as our academic investigative paradigm evolves to incorporate team science. The Urbana-Champaign team brings substantial resources, including the UIUC Materials Sciences and Nanotechnology program and the Biotechnology Center programs, that will forge closer links in cancer biology between the two Centers, and in student and faculty collaboration as well.
The ongoing planning and building of a new ~20,000 square foot Center for Applied Nanomedicine in the new Cortex Biotechnology Building adjacent to the Medical School is just one example of the investment in translational nanotechnology being made not only by the School but by Industrial collaborators such as Philips Medical Systems, who is contributing $10 million to the effort in equipment and personnel. The St. Louis biotech industry and venture community is integrally involved: from Kereos, Inc. (a nanotechnology startup licensing technology from Washington University for cancer diagnosis and therapy applications) to Stereotaxis, Inc. (a recent IPO public company devoted to magnetic guidance systems for catheters and nanoparticles), to the local and syndicated VC consortia (e.g., Prolog, RiverVest, etc.) who support these biotech businesses. These relationships create a translational engine already in preparation for clinical trials while working with other NCI nanotechnology programs.
The Projects and Cores in the SCCNE are exploring biocompatible targeted nanoparticles for in vivo imaging and drug delivery, and are also developing new tools such as nanoscopic imaging systems for real-time readout of cell physical responses with ^30 nm resolution and novel bioinformatics approaches to pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to quantify nanoscale interactions of particles with cells. In short, we believe that the Midwest academic and industrial nexus created by the relationships included in this Center are delivering on the NCI promise to develop the technologies that will achieve the goal of reducing suffering and death due to cancer.
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