About Us
The mission of the Department of Cancer Biology is to build bridges and teams to drive the best ideas in basic and translational cancer biology and developmental therapeutics to achieve breakthrough advances in the prevention, treatment and cure of cancer.
The department faculty are international leaders in brain, colorectal and prostate cancers, leukemia and myeloma, as well as cancer stem cells, mechanisms of DNA damage and repair, and fundamental molecular and cellular processes that impact microbial infections and cancer. Identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in the development and progression of human cancers as well as in normal cellular regulatory processes is our goal, enabling us to achieve our long-term objective of rapidly translating research into strategies that improve patient outcomes.
Featured Lab
Abhishek Chakraborty Lab
The Abhishek Chakraborty lab studies oxygen loss and processes oxygen-deprived cancer cells employ for survival.
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Featured Lab
Candece Gladson Lab
The Candece Gladson lab investigates blocking angiogenesis and key molecules that promote survival in malignant glioma tumors.
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Featured Lab
Julie Lang Lab
The Lang lab investigates breast cancer, studying liquid biopsies, tumor biology and inflammatory breast cancer.
Learn MoreResearch News
Dr. Zihua Gong will investigate how the DNA repair gene nudt16 contributes to resistance to PARP inhibitor therapies in BRCA mutant breast cancers.
Obstructing the key protein creates vulnerability allowing increased treatment uptake for taxane chemotherapy.
Up to one in seven melanoma patients are genetically predisposed to the disease, suggesting family history may be a bigger risk factor than sun exposure in some cases.