The CAP-IT Specialized Centers (U54) undertake multi-disciplinary research involving the following three major focus areas: target validation, screening and identification of active agents or antigenic epitopes, and in vivo efficacy testing. To achieve the Program’s overarching goal, the CAP-IT Specialized Centers (U54) are working to:

• Identify targets that can be potentially exploited for cancer preventive or interceptive interventions specifically in higher-risk populations, by collaborating with the NCI and other programs with a research focus on molecular profiling of precancer, early cancer, and/or oncogenic signaling pathways, and prioritize high-value oncotargets for the discovery of targeted interventions;




• Functionally validate the critical roles of the high-value oncotargets in tumor initiation and/or progression to invasive cancer and select oncotargets suitable for targeted intervention strategies; and




• Discover innovative targeted agents through in vitro and in vivo efficacy evaluation and advance promising efficacious agents to the NCI’s existing R&D pipeline for further development.