National Cancer Institute - NCI Division of Cancer Treatment and ...

B I O M E T R I C R E S E A R C H B R A N C H
Accomplishing research in the areas of statistical, mathematical,
and computational sciences that is motivated and informed by
real and important problems of current cancer research is the
goal of the Biometric Research Branch.
The Biometric Research Branch
(BRB) is the statistical and biomathematical
component of the Division
of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis
(DCTD). BRB members provide statistical
leadership for DCTD national research
programs in clinical trials, developmental
therapeutics, developmental diagnostics,
diagnostic imaging, and statistical and
computational genomics. During 2005, BRB
consisted of 13 permanent doctoral-level
research investigators supplemented by
postdoctoral research fellows and guest
researchers. Staff members have doctoral
degrees and expertise in biostatistics,
biomathematics, computational biology,
and computer science.
The philosophy of BRB is to have the staff
combine two functions: (1) collaboration
and consultation with scientific administrators
at DCTD and intramural investigators
at the National Cancer Institute
(NCI); (2) conduct of self-initiated research
on topics important to cancer research
and to the collaborative investigations.
Combining these functions has enabled
BRB to recruit and retain a very highquality
research staff, to provide the highest
quality collaborative and consulting
staff to DCTD and NCI scientists, and to
accomplish research in the areas of statistical,
mathematical, and computational
sciences that is motivated and informed
by real and important problems of current
cancer research. BRB does not have a
O V E R V I E W
grant, cooperative agreement, or contract
portfolio and does not sponsor or fund
extramural research.
More information on many of the projects
below can be found at: http://linus.nci.nih.
gov/~brb/BRB-AnnualReport2005.pdf.
Dr. Richard Simon, Branch Chief
Richard Simon, Ph.D., is Chief of the DCTD Biometric Research
Branch. Dr. Simon holds a doctoral degree in applied mathematics
and computer science from Washington University
in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been at the National Institutes of
Health since 1969 and has developed many of the statistical
methods used today in cancer clinical trials, including dynamically
stratified randomization, optimal two-stage phase II
designs, accelerated titration phase I designs, stochastic curtailment
for futility monitoring, tests of qualitative treatment
by patient covariate interactions, Bayesian subset analysis, and Bayesian designs
for therapeutic equivalence (active control) trials. He has published more than 400
papers on the application of biostatistical methodology to biomedical research.
Dr. Simon is an elected member of the American Statistical Association, a member of
the National Research Council Committee on Theoretical and Applied Statistics, and
a former member of the Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration. He is a pioneer in the use of data monitoring committees for
cancer clinical trials.
In 1998, Dr. Simon established a multidisciplinary group of statistical, mathematical,
computational, physical, and biological scientists to develop and apply methods for
the application of genomic, gene expression, and other molecular data to cancer
research. His group has developed expertise in the analysis of DNA microarray gene
expression data; new methods for the planning and analysis of DNA microarray
studies; and integrated software (BRB-ArrayTools) for the analysis of microarray data,
with more than 5000 registered users in 62 countries (http://linus.nci.nih.gov/
BRB-ArrayTools). He is the lead author of Design and Analysis of DNA Microarray
Investigations, published by Springer. His group is also involved in development
of methods for elucidating T-cell receptor binding rules based on combinatorial
peptide library data, design of peptide vaccines, and development of models of
oncogenesis for use in deep analysis of clinical trial results.
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