Dr. Robert Wiltrout - Director, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute
Over the past 29 years, Dr. Wiltrout has contributed as a scientist and leader to the Center for Cancer Research by supporting the infrastructure necessary to ensure continued new and creative collaborations that result in successful technology development and transfer to the Center’s industrial partners. Last year, the CCR had over 275 active clinical trials, more than 126 active Cooperative Research and Development Agreements with industry, and 120 new commercial licenses. The Center’s technologies continue to bring in an increasing amount of royalty income to the institute through licenses. Last year, the net income increased significantly to $36 million. CCR’s technologies can be found in over 200 licensed products including many successful FDA approved products.
Dr. Wiltrout has a strong belief in the importance of building strong scientific partnerships with public and private institutions and strives to accelerate the movement of scientific discoveries to the market place for the ultimate benefit of public health. Through these partnerships, the Center has been able to develop cancer therapeutics, and treatments to improve the quality of life for cancer and HIV/AIDS patients. The research conducted by the staff of the Center for Cancer Research is at the forefront of the NCI’s intramural effort to reduce suffering and death due to cancer, and thereby promote national public health. Dr. Wiltrout strives to ensure that the CCR continues to provide a unique environment in which basic research discoveries can be effectively translated into new technological or clinical applications in a timely fashion. Through these initiatives the CCR researchers are collectively able to work with collaborative partners to best drive the Center’s discoveries from the bench, to early phase clinical studies, and through FDA approval using the Center’s cutting-edge technologies—functional imaging, genomics, proteomics, and new approaches to drug development.
Dr. Wiltrout has personally been involved in ensuring that the employees of the Center are well informed and engaged in matters relating to technology transfer. New Center investigators, staff scientist, staff clinicians, fellows, and graduate students are required to fulfill their obligation to take a NIH online technology transfer training for intramural researchers. In addition, he has required that the Center’s Labs and Branches participate in the NCI Technology Transfer Center’s outreach and information meetings. Dr. Wiltrout has also provided a forum at senior management Lab and Branch Chief Meetings for technology transfer management to make presentations and discuss new technology transfer topics impacting the Center as well as current needs and technology transfer challenges and future opportunities.
Dr. Wiltrout has dedicated himself to ensure that funds allotted to support patent filings are carefully used to maximize the benefit and impact for new technology development. He personally reviewed Center’s Patent Portfolio in consultation with the NCI’s Technology Transfer Branch and the NIH Office of Technology Transfer. He approved abandonment recommendations of unlicensed patented inventions that individually had high future projected costs, short patent terms, and minimal prospects of licensing with a large cost savings for the NCI. Dr. Wiltrout has strategically supported the reinvestment of NCI royalty dollars to support those projects and initiatives that will have a broader and positive impact on the development new technologies for the benefit of public health. Dr. Wiltrout has also ensured that individual technology transfer accomplishments are recognized and rewarded within the Center for those individuals who have made commendable contributions to the Center’s technology transfer endeavors for that year.
Dr. Wiltrout believes in the importance of supporting the training and in recognizing the accomplishments of the next generation of well trained and informed scientific leaders. Under the direction of Dr. Wiltrout, in any year, there are more than 1,000 individuals actively participating in CCR supported training endeavors.
Dr. Wiltrout has participated in and supported efforts to encourage the Center’s researchers to collaborate with industry. He has also begun a process to reengineer, streamline, and optimize the clinical protocol review process within the Center making it an ideal place for industry to conduct important clinical trials. Dr. Wiltrout, as the Director for the Center for Cancer Research, oversees the clinical research portfolio which has several hundred active clinical trials.
Dr. Wiltrout has been highly recognized for his technology transfer accomplishments and track record for the Center. In addition to his achievements, he actively pursues his independent basic and clinical research interests resulting in employee invention reports, patents, and successful CRADA collaborations with industry. He is named as an inventor on several government-assigned patents in the area of immune response and hematopoietic regulation.
Under the direction of Dr. Wiltrout, there has been tremendous efforts and resources in the support of building the Immunology Center of Excellence which has a collective impact across the research community at the NIH and extramurally. Dr. Wiltrout has also devoted significant time and resources to the creation of the Cancer and Inflammation Program that has been highly interactive in collaboration with both intramural and extramural community. Another major initiative that Dr. Wiltrout has been directly involved is the new Chemical Biology Program with DCTD.
Dr. Wiltrout continued with his impressive track record of contributions to technology transfer advances of the National Cancer Institute in the 2008/9 fiscal year. He worked closely with his senior staff and Technology Transfer Center staff expanding the newly established novel CRADA mechanism that allows for the Center to efficiently work with industrial collaborators. Under this CRADA collaboration, Dr. Wiltrout, as Director, actively serves as the principal investigator on a broader scope collaboration for a compound or class of compounds which is reviewed and approved by the NIH CRADA Subcommittee. Under this new “umbrella CRADA” mechanism, after the initial approval and review, the principal investigator/Center Director and appropriate company officials have the authority to approve additional studies that are in the scope of the existing research plan by executing an approved research plan without the need for negotiating and executing a new CRADA. The process has been extremely beneficial to building more significant collaborations and reducing the time required to initiate research. The universal CRADA represents a new paradigm for industry and government developmental collaborations.
In 2009, Dr. Wiltrout has been actively involved in the CCR’s universal CRADAs. He serves as the principal investigator on four highly successful CRADAs with industry and is actively pursuing three additional universal CRADA opportunities. Under his direction, the CCR investigators have gained rapid access to multiple novel pharmaceutical compounds for further basic research and clinical development.
Dr. Wiltrout’s continued leadership and oversight of the CCR’s technology portfolio as well as his individual research accomplishments have substantially benefited the technology development initiatives of the NCI.