ABSTRACT/SUMMARY - Administrative Core The goals of the Administrative Core are to provide streamline governance of our center and to promote collaboration and integration among experimental and computational researchers. The leadership will be responsible for the oversight and effective management of the Core in order to enhance intra- and inter-center communication and to facilitate data dissemination through the NCI's Research Center for Cancer Systems Biology (RCCSB) Consortium. The Executive Committee (EC) is consisted of eight members who are leaders of three projects and three cores. These EC members will monitor monthly progress of omics studies and outreach/training activities, conduct scientific reviews of Intra-center Pilot Project (IPP) applications, and prioritize access to high-performance computing servers and to biospecimens including primary tumors, patient-derived xenograft (PDX) lines, and circulating tumor cells. A four-member panel of Internal Advisory Board (IAB) will meet quarterly to provide ongoing feedback and to advise new directions of cancer omics research within our center. To foster innovative ideas of cancer omics research, the Administrative Core will encourage IPP applications from mathematicians, computer scientists, engineers, and biophysicists who are interested in interfacing with biomedical researchers in participating institutions. Prior evidence of omics research is not necessary for submission of a proposal although an eventual avenue for integrative and translational applications should be apparent. Funding of IPPs is supported in part by the proposed RCCSB budget and matching funds from the Alice P. McDermott Endowment at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. A robust and transparent peer review process will be established to evaluate submitted proposals and to regularly review the progress of funded proposals. In addition, two mentors – one experimentalist and one computational modeler will be assigned to each junior awardee to instill the concept of team-oriented research and to monitor career development of the awardee in systems biology. The leadership of this Core will recruit four prominent scientists from outside of our center with expertise in 4D nucleome, omics data integration, or anti-hormone therapy. These External Advisory Board (EAB) members will independently conduct annual reviews of all aspects of our intra- and inter-center research activities, including experimental designs, statistical and mathematical approaches, translational applications, mentoring and outreach training, and administrative effectiveness. The EAB will provide recommendations regarding continuation and alterations of specific sub-aims or objectives of each project and core. Other recommendations by EAB are expected to expand the horizon of our cancer omics research. Thus, through these administrative mechanisms the Core will promote high-quality, team-oriented, and niche-focused research in our proposed U54 center.

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