How long has NCI had a drug development program?
NCI has had a screening program to test experimental cancer drugs since 1937, but it was not until 1955 that a formal organization (called the Cancer Chemotherapy National Service Center) was formed to integrate laboratory resources with clinical facilities. In the early decades, compounds were screened in leukemic mice, and in l975, a program to screen mice bearing transplanted human tumors was introduced. Over time, the system has evolved into one that combines both in vitro (cancer cells grown in a dish in the laboratory) with in vivo (animal) testing. The current system, described in detail in question 5, has been operational since 1990. • How many drugs has NCI tested? DTP has over 400,000 drugs in its repository that have gone through some kind of screening process at NCI. About 80,000 compounds have been screened since 1990, using the current screening system. • Where do these drugs come from? How can they be characterized? NCI actively solicits drugs from government laboratorie
