Translational Research

TRIO’s novel oncology clinical trials differ from many trials in that agent selection and study design are informed by rigorous preclinical evaluation at the Translational Oncology Research Laboratory (TORL) in the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA’s Clinical Translational Research Director, Dr. Dennis Slamon, directs this process and helps drive TRIO’s research forward.

The lab is equipped with large-scale tissue culture facilities that are capable of biologically and molecularly interrogating a panel of over 600 human cancer cell lines that represent the 15 major cancer histologies. These cell lines have gene mutation analyses available and have undergone comprehensive molecular profiling including Agilent gene expression arrays and Agilent CGH arrays. These cell lines have also been characterized for their biological properties including response to standard chemotherapeutic and hormonal agents, as well as a number of the new class of molecularly targeted agents.