The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...

. The NCI conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other activities related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

; the supportive care of cancer patients and their families; and cancer survivorship. NCI is the oldest and has the largest budget and research program of the 27 institutes and centers of the NIH ($6.9 billion in 2020). It fulfills the majority of its mission via an extramural program that provides

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: People * Grant (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Grant (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters ** Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885), the 18th president of the U ...

for cancer research. Additionally, the National Cancer Institute has intramural research programs in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, and at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research at

Fort Detrick Fort Detrick () is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, it has hosted m ...

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in, and the county seat of, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Maryland, second-largest ...

. The NCI receives more than in funding each year. The NCI supports a nationwide network of 73

NCI-designated Cancer Center NCI-designated Cancer Centers are a group of 73 cancer research institutions in the United States supported by the National Cancer Institute. Three designations are recognized: ''Comprehensive Cancer Centers'', ''Clinical Cancer Centers'' and ''B ...

s with a dedicated focus on cancer research and treatment and maintains the National Clinical Trials Network.

History

Timeline

* August 5, 1937: President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

signed into law the National Cancer Institute Act (Pub. Law 75-244; 50 Stat. 559), which established the National Cancer Institute, as a division of the

Public Health Service The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services which manages public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant Se ...

. * 1940: The first issue of the ''

Journal of the National Cancer Institute The ''Journal of the National Cancer Institute'' (''JNCI'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in oncology that was established in August 1940. It is published monthly by Oxford University Press and is edited by Patricia A. Gan ...

'' was published. * 1944: The

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

made the NCI an operating division of the

by its passage of the

Public Health Service Act The Public Health Service Act is a Law of the United States, United States federal law enacted in 1944. The full act is codified in Title 42 of the United States Code (The Public Health and Welfare), Chapter 6A (United States Public Health Servi ...

. Congress later amended the

with the National Cancer Act of 1971, to broaden the scope and responsibilities of the NCI "in order more effectively to carry out the national effort against cancer." * 1955: NCI established the Clinical Trials Cooperative Group Program, which included several research networks that conducted cancer clinical research primarily under the sponsorship of NCI. * 1957: The first cancer, choriocarcinoma, was cured with

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

at NCI. * 1960: NCI began funding

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

-supported cancer centers. * 1971: President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

converted the U.S. Army's former

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or Pathogen, infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and Fungus, fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an ...

facilities at

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, to house research activities on the causes, treatment, and prevention of cancer. * 1971: The National Cancer Act of 1971 declares "war on cancer," establishes the National Cancer Advisory Board, and allots additional funding for cancer research. * 1975: The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research opened in Frederick, Maryland, as a Federally Funded Research and Development Center * 1993: The NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 encourages NCI to expand its efforts in prostate cancer, breast and other cancers which primarily or solely affected women, and authorized increased appropriations. * 1998: Establishes the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine to study pseudoscientific

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

treatments for cancer * 2009: The

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (), nicknamed the Recovery Act, was a Stimulus (economics), stimulus package enacted by the 111th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama in February 2009. Developed ...

provided in additional funding for the NIH; the NCI received from that amount. * 2016: The

21st Century Cures Act The 21st Century Cures Act is a United States law enacted by the 114th United States Congress in December 2016 and then signed into law on December 13, 2016. It authorized $6.3 billion in funding, mostly for the National Institutes of Health. The ...

increased funding for biomedical research. The "Cancer Moonshot" program promised additional support for cancer research. * On October 17, 2017,

Norman Sharpless Norman Edward "Ned" Sharpless (born September 20, 1966) is the previous Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Before that, Sharpless was Professor of Medicine and Genetics Chair, Director of University of North Carolina UNC Lineberger ...

was sworn in as the 15th director of the National Cancer Institute. In April 2019, Sharpless left NCI to serve as the acting

Commissioner of Food and Drugs The United States commissioner of food and drugs is the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The commissioner is appointed by the president of the United States an ...

. He returned to the institute in November 2019 as director.

Anti-cancer drug investigations

Organization

The NCI is divided into several divisions and centers.

Intramural

Center for Cancer Research
:: The CCR includes approximately 250 internal NCI research groups in Frederick and Bethesda.
Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics
:: DCEG is made up of eight branches within the Trans-divisional Research Program.

Extramural

* Division of Cancer Biology :: DCB oversees approximately 2000 grants per year in the areas of cancer cell biology; cancer immunology, hematology, and etiology; DNA and chromosome aberrations; structural biology and molecular applications; tumor biology and microenvironment; and tumor metastasis. "Special Research Programs" falling under the aegis of the DCB include: Physical Sciences-Oncology Network, Cancer Systems Biology Consortium, Oncology Models Forum, Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network, New Approaches to Synthetic Lethality for Mutant KRAS-Dependent Cancers, Molecular and Cellular Characterization of Screen-Detected Lesions, Fusion Oncoproteins in Childhood Cancers, and Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative. * Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences * Division of Cancer Prevention * Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis :: DCTD supports eight research programs: The Biometric Research Program, The Cancer Diagnosis Program, The Cancer Imaging Program, The Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program, The Developmental Therapeutics Program, The Radiation Research Program, The Translational Research Program, and The Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine. * Division of Extramural Activities :: DEA processes and supports the thousands of grant applications NCI receives each year and compiles reports on the progress of research funded by the NCI's programs.

Office of the director

* Center for Biomedical Informatics and Information Technology * Center for Cancer Genomics :: CCG was created in 2011 and is responsible for management of

The Cancer Genome Atlas The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is a project to catalogue the genomic alterations responsible for cancer using genome sequencing and bioinformatics. The overarching goal was to apply high-throughput genome analysis techniques to improve the abili ...

and cancer genomics initiatives. * Center for Cancer Training * Center for Global Health * Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives :: In the 1990s, the Unconventional Innovation Program was created to integrate interdisciplinary technology research with biological applications. It was reorganized in 2004 as the CSSI. * Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities * Center for Research Strategy * Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials * Technology Transfer Center

Programs

NCI-designated Cancer Centers

The

s are one of the primary arms in the NCI's mission in supporting cancer research. There are currently 72 so-designated centers; 9 cancer centers, 56 comprehensive cancer centers, and 7 basic laboratory cancer centers. NCI supports these centers with grant funding in the form of P30 Cancer Center Support Grants to support shared research resources and interdisciplinary programs. Additionally, faculty at the cancer centers receive approximately 75% of the grant funding awarded by the NCI to individual investigators. The NCI cancer centers program was introduced in 1971 with 15 participating institutions.

National Clinical Trials Network

The National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) was formed in 2014, from the Cooperative Group program to modernize the existing system to support

precision medicine Precision, precise or precisely may refer to: Arts and media * ''Precision'' (march), the official marching music of the Royal Military College of Canada * "Precision" (song), by Big Sean * ''Precisely'' (sketch), a dramatic sketch by the Eng ...

clinical trials. With precision medicine, many patients must be screened to determine eligibility for treatments in development. Lead Academic Participating Sites (LAPS) were chosen at 30 academic institutions for their ability to conduct clinical trials and screen a large number of participants and awarded grants to support the infrastructure and administration required for clinical trials. Most LAPS grant recipients are also NCI-designated cancer centers. NCTN also stores surgical tissue from patients in a nationwide network of tissue banks at various universities.

Developmental Therapeutics Program

The NCI Development Therapeutics Program (DTP) provides services and resources to the academic and private-sector research communities worldwide to facilitate the discovery and development of new cancer therapeutic agents. Under the label "Discovery & Development Services" several services are offered, among them the NCI-60 human cancer cell line screen and the Molecular Target Program. In the Molecular Target Program thousands of molecular targets have been measured in the NCI panel of 60 human tumor cell lines. Measurements include protein levels, RNA measurements, mutation status and enzyme activity levels.

NCI-60 Human Tumor Cell Lines Screen

The evolution of strategies at the NCI illustrates the changes in screening that have resulted from advances in cancer biology. The Developmental Therapeutics Program (DTP) operates a tiered anti-cancer compound screening program with the goal of identifying novel chemical leads and biological mechanisms. The DTP screen is a three phase screen which includes: an initial screen which first involves a single dose

cytotoxicity Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are toxic metals, toxic chemicals, microbe neurotoxins, radiation particles and even specific neurotransmitters when the system is out of balance. Also some types of d ...

screen with the 60 cell line assay. Those passing certain thresholds are subjected to a 5 dose screen of the same 60 cell-line panel to determine a more detailed picture of the biological activity. A second phase screen establishes the maximum tolerable dosage and involves

in vivo Studies that are ''in vivo'' (Latin for "within the living"; often not italicized in English) are those in which the effects of various biological entities are tested on whole, living organisms or cells, usually animals, including humans, an ...

examination of

tumor A neoplasm () is a type of abnormal and excessive growth of tissue. The process that occurs to form or produce a neoplasm is called neoplasia. The growth of a neoplasm is uncoordinated with that of the normal surrounding tissue, and persists ...

regression using the hollow fiber assay. The third phase of the study is the human tumor xenograft evaluation. Active compounds are selected for testing based on several criteria: disease type specificity in the

in vitro ''In vitro'' (meaning ''in glass'', or ''in the glass'') Research, studies are performed with Cell (biology), cells or biological molecules outside their normal biological context. Colloquially called "test-tube experiments", these studies in ...

assay, unique structure, potency, and demonstration of a unique pattern of cellular cytotoxicity or cytostasis, indicating a unique mechanism of action or

intracellular This glossary of biology terms is a list of definitions of fundamental terms and concepts used in biology, the study of life and of living organisms. It is intended as introductory material for novices; for more specific and technical definitions ...

target. A high correlation of cytotoxicity with compounds of known biological mechanism is often predictive of the drugs mechanism of action and thus a tool to aid in the drug development and testing. It also tells if there is any unique response of the drug which is not similar to any of the standard prototype compounds in the NCI database.

Leadership

List of NCI directors since 1937: Table notes:

Notable NCI faculty

* Amy Berrington de González, senior investigator and radiation epidemiology branch chief. * Kathryn Zoon, Principal Deputy Director, 2002 to 2004. * Michael B. Sporn was the Chief of the Laboratory of Chemoprevention, 1978 to 1995. * Tom Misteli, NIH Distinguished Investigator and Director of the NCI Center for Cancer Research * Susan Gottesman * Sankar Adhya * Ira Pastan * Elaine Jaffe * Michael Gottesman * Robert C. Gallo * Rosandra N. Kaplan, head of the tumor microenvironment and metastasis branch *

Michael Potter Michael Potter (born 24 September 1963) is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who most recently served as the interim head coach of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs in the National Rugby League (NRL), and a former professi ...

* Sandra Wolin * Charles J. Sherr * Louis M. Staudt * Gordon Zubrod * Steven Rosenberg * Alfred Singer, Chief of the Experimental Immunology Branch of the National Cancer Institute * Xiaohong Rose Yang, senior investigator. * Douglas R. Lowy, Chief, Laboratory of Cellular Oncology; NCI Principal Deputy Director, initial development, characterization, and clinical testing of the preventive virus-like particle-based HPV vaccines.

Notable people

* Susan Shurin, senior adviser * Sudhir Srivastava, chief scientist at Cancer Biomarkers Research Group of the Division of Cancer Prevention * Catharine West and Barry Rosenstein, lead investigators for the ''Radio-Genomics Consortium'' (established 2009)

Notes and references

General references

National Cancer Institute
Retrieved 11 June 2010.
"NCI MISSION STATEMENT"
National Cancer Institute. Retrieved 18 August 2004.

National Cancer Institute. Retrieved 18 August 2004.

External links

*
NCI
account on

USAspending.gov USAspending.gov is a database of spending by the United States federal government. History Around the time of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006's passage, OMB Watch, a government watchdog group, was developing a ...

NCI Dictionaries
NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms (utilizing non-technical language) • NCI Dictionary of Genetics Terms (for healthcare professionals) • NCI Drug Dictionary (includes links for potential

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s)
NCI
in ''A Short History of the National Institutes of Health'', an online exhibit by the Office of NIH History
Important Events in NCI History
from the ''NIH Almanac''
Major NCI Milestones

infographic Infographics (a clipped compound of "information" and "graphics") are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly.Doug Newsom and Jim Haynes (2004). ''Public Relations Wr ...

{{Authority control Cancer research organizations Cancer organizations based in the United States Cancer Institute National Cancer Centers Medical research institutes in Maryland 75th United States Congress 1937 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1937