Short-term (Year 1-2): Collaborations and Partnerships.
Our proposed strategy involves the continuation of the recently started monthly workshop titled "Unlocking the Clinical Translation Potential of SynthX," the coordination of an annual conference named "Synthetic Innovations towards a Cure for Cancer (SICC)," and the establishment of an annual retreat. BCM Cancer Center has made a commitment to co-fund these initiatives. The effectiveness of these endeavors will be assessed by measuring the number of collaborative grants, patents, and startups that emerge directly as a result of these activities. Seed funding. In order to foster innovative collaborations between synthetic chemists and clinical scientists in cancer research, SynthX will announce three grants and the BCM Cancer Center has pledged a matching fund of $135,000, aiming to catalyze collaborative research efforts among multiple principal investigators and facilitate the pursuit of larger multi-PI grants and center grants.
Long-term (Year 3-5): Funding.
Securing funding from both public and private sectors is a key indicator of a center's ability to demonstrate the significance and practicability of its research. SynthX is projected to obtain several center/training grant and multi-PI grants in the initial five years. Patents and Intellectual Property. The number of patents and intellectual property rights that are obtained during the translational research process is another indicator of success, showing that the center is creating unique, protectable research outputs. Publications and Citations. The number of co-authored publications by Rice and TMC researchers in esteemed peer-reviewed journals, as well as the citations these papers accrue, will serve as crucial indicators of the quality and resonance of the joint research, highlighting our commitment to impactful scholarly contribution. MD/PhD program. We will explore the possibility of establishing an innovative MD/PhD program between SynthX and BCM. By joining forces, SynthX and BCM aim to provide a transformative educational experience that empowers the next generation of physician-scientists to make significant contributions at the intersection of medicine and research. Global Impact. SynthX is projected to draw in over 15 international scholars during its 5 years, demonstrating a quantifiable measure of its global reach and influence.