UT Southwestern Medical Center Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center

The Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) is the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center of the UT Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and its health system affiliates, Parkland Health & Hospital System, and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas. SCCC’s mission is to ease the burden of cancer through ground-breaking discovery, transdisciplinary research, impactful community engagement, education, and exceptional patient care. Upon arrival as the new Director in 2017, Carlos L.

Arteaga, MD, shouldered authority over UTSW cancer activities and recasted a vision for the Center that focuses on the translation of science into the forefront of UTSW’s overall mission. To accomplish this, the SCCC Strategic Plan 2020-2025 prioritizes an increase in cancer-focused funding and infrastructure support for clinical trials, expansion of the clinical capacity for cancer treatment through further developed multidisciplinary cancer care, a new > 300,000 sf. Outpatient Cancer Care Tower, and a renewed emphasis on community outreach and engagement. In addition, SCCC will continue to create educational and training opportunities aimed at empowering a new generation of basic scientists, physician-scientists, clinical investigators, and other healthcare providers to make a difference in cancer discovery, clinical investigation and care, cancer control, and community outreach.

The Center’s operations are optimized through a visionary and highly qualified Senior Leadership team and a value-creating administrative infrastructure. Together, leadership, infrastructure, and an engaged Center membership of 227 scientists and clinical investigators are organized into five highly interactive research programs—Cellular Networks in Cancer, Development and Cancer, Chemistry and Cancer, Experimental Therapeutics, and Population Science and Cancer Control. During the current six-year funding cycle, SCCC has secured several large collaborative multi-investigator awards, including a new SPORE in kidney cancer, six new U01s, and two new U54s, and maintains two NCI-funded T32s. As a result of strengthening the clinical trials infrastructure, accruals to interventional clinical trials has more than doubled.

The rapid pace of discovery and movement toward effective translational research is supported by six shared resources: Biostatistics, Data Science, High Throughput Screening, Quantitative Light Microscopy, Small Animal Imaging, and Tissue Management. Today, SCCC has $25M in annual direct NCI funding. It has successfully leveraged Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) funding during the current period to continue the rapid growth of the Center, as demonstrated by the recruitment of 97 new members. SCCC has invested $210M since 2014 (six years) and has secured another $232M in institutional commitment for the next five years to increase the range of available resources.

These impressive developments ensure that catchment area needs and concerns are addressed and SCCC scientists will continue their exemplary track record in advancing understanding of cancer biology while coupling these findings with the development of novel approaches to cancer control, diagnosis, and treatment.

Grant Number: 5P30CA142543-15
NIH Institute/Center: NIH
Principal Investigator: Carlos Arteaga