Transdisciplinary Cancer Teams (TCTs)

At MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, we have added a new component to our translational pipeline to advance the latest research breakthroughs into the clinic to help patients as quickly and safely as possible. This component is called our Transdisciplinary Cancer Teams, or TCTs, as we refer to them.

They serve to funnel the science that comes from the three cancer research programs at Hollings: Cancer Biology & Immunology, Cancer Prevention & Control, and Developmental Cancer Therapeutics, and focus that science into cancer type working groups. These groups are truly transdisciplinary because they involve experts from a variety of fields, including basic biology, oncology, pathology, surgery, population science, bioinformatics, and biostatistics. Each of these basic and clinical scientists meet regularly to foster collaborative ideas, which are funneled to the Disease Focus Groups where clinicians lead investigator-initiated Phase I and II clinical trials.

We currently have five active TCTs in the areas of breast, colon, head and neck, hematologic malignancies, and pancreatic. Three others are in development in the areas of gynecologic oncology, lung, and prostate. Each TCT is co-led by a physician and basic scientist to maximize the bench to clinic and back to bench collaborative workflow. Our TCTs also seek ways to develop partnerships with industry leaders to further accelerate our translational pipeline and bring best care practices to our patients in South Carolina and beyond.

For more information about the Transdisciplinary Cancer Teams, contact Dr. Denis Guttridge at guttridg@musc.edu.