BWH and Dana-Farber have announced the creation of the BWH Multidisciplinary Cancer Research Program (MCRP) – an interdepartmental initiative that will provide an administrative and operational structure to facilitate clinical and translational research involving BWH-based investigators and clinical/translational research services. Part of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC), the new program will partner with the existing clinical studies infrastructure of Dana-Farber to provide a centrally coordinated research approach for DF/BWCC.

As the number of research projects involving BWH grows, the MCRP will provide consultation and administrative support for investigators, advising and assisting with study design and clinical protocol development, and providing expert coordination of BWH resources across radiology, pathology, surgery, radiation oncology and other BWH services. The program will also assist research teams in completing budgets, contracting and other requirements prior to study initiation. The sponsorship and funding of these studies may be from industry, public or philanthropic sources.

“The scope of multidisciplinary care and research is expanding to include molecular pathology, functional imaging and care delivery systems, to name a few new fields. These are areas of particular strength for DF/BWCC investigators, but require a high level of coordination to be successful. MCRP will provide an innovative infrastructure to ensure this kind of multidisciplinary coordination,” said Monica Bertagnolli, MD, BWPO Chief of Service. “The initial goal of this program is to facilitate molecular evaluation of tumors and to provide biopsy related support for specific research studies. This activity requires in depth collaboration between treating surgeons, radiologists, and pathologists working at BWH and medical oncology-based research teams at DFCI.”

“The launch of this program demonstrates our commitment to providing high-quality, seamless cancer clinical care across our institutions,” said Bruce Johnson, MD, chief clinical research officer at Dana-Farber. “MCRP keep us competitive in the field of clinical and translational cancer research as the DF/BWCC continues to expand its research portfolio.”