1. From Bench to Clinical Applications: Money Talks
Ming Hsieh Institute for Research
on Engineering-Medicine for Cancer
Bridging nanoscale science & engineering
for the improvement of medical care
LOGO WILL CHANGE
Silvia da Costa, PhD
Director, Faculty Research Relations
Office of Research

2. MING HSIEH PROGRAM
The Ming Hsieh Institute for Research on Engineering‐Medicine for Cancer (MHI) was established at the University of Southern California in 2010 following a $50 million gift by Ming Hsieh.
The Institute aims to bridge engineering and medical research to speed discovery and create novel pathways by which research improves the lives of patients with cancer.

3. MING HSIEH PROGRAM
Between 2011 and 2018, the MHI Pilot Grant Program has awarded or renewed 46 grants, totaling  $5 million, with awards ranging from $75,000 to $140,000 each.

4. Proposals Received & Awarded
MING HSIEH PROGRAM
Proposals Received & Awarded
% = # proposals awarded/ # proposals received

5. MING HSIEH PROGRAM
2018 Proposals Awarded

6. MING HSIEH AWARDEES

7. MING HSIEH PROGRAM PURPOSE
The Ming Hsieh Institute seeks proposals that:
Will initiate new nanomedicine multi-disciplinary research projects and that show exceptional promise for translation into human clinical trials for treatment of cancer;
Aim to develop new targeted immunotherapeutic approaches to cancer.
Application deadline: 5 pm, Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Award: up to $150,000
Review: Finalists submitted to MHI Board for final approval

8. MING HSIEH PROGRAM ELIGIBILTY Research Funded
Each proposal must have a team of two or more USC faculty principal investigators:
• Teams must include at least one investigator who is a physician (MD), whose clinical practice includes serving cancer patients and who may serve as a PI, Co- PI or as a key investigator/advisor to the project.
• The team of two or more principal investigators must hold primary faculty appointments in at least two schools of the university.
Research Funded
Early stage: work in which a clinical perspective informs and guides basic research toward engineering medical solutions.
Translational projects: work in which already developed technologies or therapies are married with clinical patient populations for human testing or pre-clinical animal testing, or proof-of-concept projects as a step toward a specific commercialization goal.

9. MING HSIEH PROGRAM TOPIC ELIGIBILTY Nanomedicine:
• Methods that combine therapies with diagnostic/theranostics, using multifunctional nanoparticles to image the tumor, provide targeted treatment and assess in real-time the therapeutic action.
• External activation of nanoparticles as a mechanism for non-invasive local delivery of drug and/or tumor ablation.
• Nanoparticles, including their synthesis, genetic engineering, surface engineering and characterization that can be readily tailored for functionality toward specific clinical applications, as well as other novel therapeutic concepts made possible by nanoscale approaches.
• Biomarkers that can be exploited to attach nanoparticles to specific cancer cells.

10. MING HSIEH PROGRAM TOPIC ELIGIBILTY Nanomedicine:
• Nanoparticle delivery of DNA/RNA-based therapies.
Optimization of dosing regimen and formulation;
Studies that establish the safety and efficacy of nanoparticle based therapies, including pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics analysis and dose ranging toxicology studies;
Scale up processes for the manufacturing of nanoparticle based therapies;
Initial clinical evaluation of the safety, pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics of nanoparticle based therapies.
• Development of novel therapeutic or diagnostic products to detect or predict early response to, and/or treat cancer.

11. MING HSIEH PROGRAM TOPIC ELIGIBILTY Immunotherapeutics:
Immuno- or biologic therapy, including but not limited to engineered immune cells, antibodies, polypeptides, fusion proteins and protein-molecule conjugates will be considered. Potential uses of such molecules as diagnostic or therapeutic agents must be novel. Therapeutic or diagnostic agents must have strong scientific rationale for their potential application as individual molecules in case of fusion proteins or protein-small molecule conjugates. Molecules that have potential for immune activation of innate or adaptive immune responses or engineered immune cells to target cancer with enhanced potency and minimal off-tumor toxicity are among the highest priority initiatives. Companion biomarker(s) for cancer detection and early responses are a plus.

12. research.usc.edu
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13. THANK YOU! Silvia da Costa, PhD Director, Faculty Research Relations
LOGO WILL CHANGE
Silvia da Costa, PhD
Director, Faculty Research Relations
Office of Research