Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD2) Network

CTD2 image with an illustration of DNA and tissue histology

The CTD² Network is a functional genomics initiative that bridges the knowledge gap between large-scale genomic datasets and the underlying etiology of cancer development, progression, and metastasis.

This program uses advanced computational and functional systems biology approaches to understand tumor heterogeneity, drug resistance, and cancer progression to develop optimal combination therapies.

Impact of Cancer Target Discovery and Development Research

The CTD² Network defined criteria to assess the strength of evidence supporting a specific therapeutic target, allowing the prioritization of drivers that play a direct role in tumor development and progression. Using this framework, the program has advanced the translation of discoveries in preclinical models to clinical trials.

Additionally, systematic functional studies performed by CTD² investigators have identified new categories of cancer targets beyond those inhibited by approved cancer drugs.

CTD2 Network News

On March 19, 2026, CTD² Network investigators held a virtual, public symposium of recent advances in functional genomics and CTD2 Network research progress.

CTD2 Network Resources

CTD² Data Portal
CTD² Network Analytical Tools

Contact for the CTD2 Network

For additional information about the CTD² program, please contact Dr. Claire McCarthy.

Funded Projects

CTD2 Research Projects (U01s)

Institution	Principal Investigator(s)	Center Title
Columbia University	Andrea Califano	Elucidating and Targeting Tumor Dependencies and Drug Resistance Determinants at the Single Cell Level
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center	Christopher J. Kemp	A Patient-Centric Approach to Advance Functional Precision Oncology
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai	Brian D. Brown, Miriam Merad, Robert M. Samstein	Spatial Functional Genomics to Identify Regulators of the Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunity
MD Anderson Cancer Center	Ronald A. DePinho, Traver Hart	Identifying and Targeting Collateral Lethal Vulnerabilities in Cancers
Oregon Health & Science University	Gordon B. Mills, Benjamin Deneen, Han Liang	Systematic Characterization and Targeting of Neomorphic Drivers in Cancer
University of California, San Francisco	Michael T. McManus, Sourav Bandyopadhyay, Trever G. Bivona	Bay Area Cancer Target Discovery and Development

Past Projects

Phase 3: CTD2 Research Projects (U01s)

Institution	Principal Investigator(s)	Center Title
Broad Institute	Stuart L. Schreiber	Targeting Vulnerabilities of Therapy-Resistant Cancer Cell States with Small Molecules
Columbia University	Andrea Califano	Systematic Identification and Pharmacological Targeting of Tumor Dependencies for Precision Cancer Medicine
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	William C. Hahn	The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Cancer Target Discovery and Development Center
Emory University	Haian Fu	Systematic Discovery of Neomorph Protein-Protein Interactions in Cancer for Oncogenic Pathway Perturbation
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center	Christopher Kemp	Personalized Cancer Models to Discover and Develop New Therapeutic Targets
Johns Hopkins University	Joel S. Bader, Andrew J. Ewald	Pathway Discovery and Target Validation for Outgrowth of Breast Cancer Metastases
Oregon Health & Science University	Brian J. Druker, Jeffrey W. Tyner	Functional Genomic Discovery of Pathway Targeted and Immune Modulatory Therapeutic Combinations in Hematologic Malignancies
Oregon Health & Science University	Gordon B. Mills, Benjamin Deneen	Integrative Bioinformatics and Functional Characterization of Oncogenic Driver Aberrations in Cancer
Stanford University	Calvin J. Kuo, Christina N. Curtis, Hanlee P. Ji	Organoid-based Discovery of Oncogenic Drivers and Treatment Resistance Mechanisms
University of California, San Diego	Pablo Tamayo, Ezra Cohen, Dan S. Kaufman, Jill P. Mesirov	A Rational Systematic Approach to Find Combinations of Pharmacologic and Immune Therapies that Target Identifiable Oncogenic States
University of California, San Francisco	William A. Weiss, Allan Balmain, Matthew F. Krummel	Integrating Targeted and Immunotherapy to Treat Genetically Heterogeneous Cancers
University of California, San Francisco	Michael T. McManus, Sourav Bandyopadhyay, Trever G. Bivona, Jonathan S. Weissman	The Cancer Target Discovery and Development Network at UCSF

Phase 2: CTD2 Research Projects (U01s)

Institution	Principal Investigator(s)	Project Title
Broad Institute	Stuart L. Schreiber	Cancer Dependencies Associated with Genomic Alterations and Targeted by Small Molecules
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory	Scott Powers	Computational and Functional Approaches to Validating Cancer Genome Targets
Columbia University	Andrea Califano	Systems Biology of Tumor Progression and Drug Resistance
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	William C. Hahn, Todd R. Golub	The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Cancer Target Discovery and Development Center
Emory University	Haian Fu	High Throughput Protein-Protein Interaction Interrogation in Cancer
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center	Christopher J. Kemp	An Integrated Computational and Functional Genomics Discovery Engine for Preclinical Studies
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center	Martin McIntosh, Edus H. Warren	Profiling Cancer Neoantigen Repertoires and Validating Immunotherapy Targets
MD Anderson Cancer Center	Gordon B. Mills	Biological Annotation of TCGA Data
Stanford University	Calvin J. Kuo, Hanlee P. Ji	Functional Analysis of Oncogenic Networks in Primary Organoids
Translational Genomics Research Institute	Michael E. Berens	Systematic Development of Novel, Druggable Cancer Targets
University of California, San Francisco	William A. Weiss	Genetic Network Analysis of Cancer Targets
University of California, San Francisco	Michael T. McManus, Frank P. McCormick, Jonathan Weissman	Bay Area Cancer Target Discovery and Development Network
UT Southwestern Medical Center	Michael G. Roth, John B. MacMillan, John D. Minna, Michael A. White	Lung Cancer Oncogenotype-Selective Drug Target Discovery

Phase 1: CTD2 Research Projects (U01s)

Institution	Principal Investigator(s)	Project Title
Broad Institute	Stuart L. Schreiber	Targeting Causal Cancer Genes with Small Molecules
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory	Scott Powers	CSHL Molecular Target Discovery and Development Center
Columbia University	Andrea Califano	Systems Biology of Tumor Progression and Drug-Resistance
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	William C. Hahn, Lynda Chin	Functional Annotation of Cancer Genomes: TCGA, Glioblastoma and Ovarian Cancer
UT Southwestern Medical Center	Michael G. Roth	A Concerted Attack on Patient Specific Oncogenic Vulnerabilities in Lung Cancer