about IMP

David J. Sugarbaker, M.D., founded the International Mesothelioma Program (IMP) in response to the rising incidence of mesothelioma worldwide. Its mission encompasses treatment, research, and support of patients and families. The IMP's clinical focus is on developing the most effective, cutting-edge treatment strategies that can significantly extend patients' lives.  Its research focus is collaborative - to bring together basic, translational, and clinical researchers who seek to understand how and why the disease develops and to translate those findings into improved patient care.  Its supportive focus involves social work, pastoral care, and palliative care professionals who work to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. 

The Program is built on the existing multidisciplinary team collaborating on mesothelioma research and treatment: Brigham and Women’s Hospital - Division of Thoracic Surgery and the Departments of Anesthesiology, Dermatology, Pathology and Radiology; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Departments of Medical and Radiation Oncology; Department of Society, Human Development, and Health; Pain and Palliative Care Service; and the Thoracic Oncology Program; Harvard School of Public Health - Departments of Environmental Health and Cancer Cell Biology; Massachusetts General Hospital – Biostatistics Center. The research interests of the program investigators span the range from basic MPM biology and target discovery (growth control, over-expressed genes, and expression of SV40 large T antigen) to clinical treatment of MPM (diagnosis, pathology, surgical techniques, improvements in treatment, outcome, and patterns of recurrence). Collaborations among the investigators have resulted in fourteen joint publications since 1993, as well as publications from the individual groups.

As a group, the team has developed useful tools and gathered key data on the disease. A tumor bank, established in 1992, contains frozen samples of more than 600 MPM, supplying specimens for genetic and genomic studies. Researchers have karyotyped MPM specimens, establishing profiles of chromosomal abnormalities, and pathologists have pioneered novel diagnostic methods to differentiate MPM from other histologically similar conditions. Others have concentrated on gene discovery strategies aimed at identifying molecular markers and therapeutic targets. We have reported the importance of the Folate Receptor and of the IAP I genes in MPM. We also have performed microarray-based analysis of MPM tissues and identified treatment related prognostic markers. More recently, we have applied cutting edge proteomic methods in identifying activated tyrosine kinase proteins in MPM.

The goals of the International Mesothelioma Program include:
 - pioneering the latest, most advanced therapies through clinical and research collaboration
 - coordinating a translational research program to develop new diagnostic and screening tools and treatment options
 - characterizing in depth each patient’s exposure to a large panel of suspected carcinogens by collaborating with a dedicated epidemiologist to collect historical data looking for risk factors leading to the development of MPM
 - providing the infrastructure of clinical materials, cell lines, animal models and pilot funding to assist talented scientists in their studies of biological mechanisms of mesothelioma initiation and progression
 - broadening the availability of assessment and therapy by training additional specialists
 - building a database of patients with the goal of identifying geographical areas for outreach and development of satellite centers
 - establishing satellite assessment centers in selected international institutions in high-prevalence areas
 - identifying international centers for potential research collaborations