Organization of the ETCTN
The ETCTN is designed to be a collaborative network made up of the following grant and contract components:
- ETCTN Lead Academic Organizations (LAOs) leading and participating in trials
- ETCTN Network Pharmacokinetic (PK) Resource Laboratories conducting PK studies in appropriate trials
- NCI's Early-Phase and Experimental Clinical Trials (EET) Biobank facilitating biospecimen collection and use
- NCI-supported National Clinical Laboratory Network (NCLN) and other resources to conduct correlative studies and assess translational endpoints
- Centralized NCI support for key scientific, administrative, and regulatory functions
- Substantial NCI involvement in scientific and programmatic stewardship of these cooperative agreements
Dr. Lori Henderson is the Program Director for the ETCTN and Dr. Lorraine Pelosof is the Scientific Officer for the ETCTN. NCI experts in CTEP's Investigational Drug Branch provide agent-specific oversight of trials run by the ETCTN.
ETCTN Infrastructure and Available Agents
ETCTN Overview
The ETCTN and its supporting infrastructure provides an established system for early-stage clinical development of novel anticancer treatments that are then evaluated in clinical trials conducted under DCTD/CTEP Investigational New Drug (IND) applications in national, high-priority areas of unmet medical need.
ETCTN clinical trials determine the safety of IND agent drug combinations, find early signals of clinical activity of these agents in targeted populations, and perform in-depth analysis of biomarkers of response and resistance.
To support these trials, CTEP has established resource laboratories for pharmacokinetic (PK) studies and the NCI National Clinical Laboratory Network (NCLN), which supports genomics-based and pharmacodynamic studies.
Learn about how a CTEP-supported trial in the ETCTN goes from an idea to results.
ETCTN Available Agents
DCTD/CTEP currently holds approximately 210 INDs for investigational oncology agents/combinations which involve about 100 collaborative agreements with pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies. Agents available under CTEP agreements for evaluation include, but are not limited to, small molecules, immune-oncology agents, antibodies, targeted toxins, oligonucleotides, and gene transfer agents.
Through this program, hundreds of agents and agent combinations have been made available for collaborative agent development within CTEP. Effective development of these agents requires a systematic development plan for phase 1 and pilot trials, followed by phase 2 trials that, it is hoped, will conclude with definitive evaluation in phase 3 trials.
ETCTN Lead Academic Organizations (LAOs)
The ETCTN includes eight grantee Lead Academic Organizations (LAOs). LAOs may include Affiliated Organizations (AOs) that partner with the LAO under the LAO's leadership and oversight to develop and lead trials and enroll patients to trials. Additional sites that are Integrated Components (ICs) of the LAO or AO governance may also participate and enroll patients.
All LAOs lead and participate in a broad portfolio of ETCTN trials.
ETCTN Lead Academic Organization (LAO) Grantee | LAO Affiliated Organization(s) (AOs) |
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City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center LAO |
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Dana-Farber - Harvard Cancer Center LAO |
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JHU Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center LAO |
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Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center LAO |
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University Health Network Princess Margaret Cancer Center LAO |
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University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center LAO |
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UPMC Hillman Cancer Center LAO |
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Yale University Cancer Center LAO |
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Investigational Drug Steering Committee
The NCI Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials (CCCT) convenes scientific steering committees, which are composed of leading cancer experts, biostatisticians, translational scientists, and patient advocates as well as NCI senior investigators.
The Investigational Drug Steering Committee (IDSC) collaborates with the NCI in the design and prioritization of early phase drug development trials carried out within the ETCTN.