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Basic Science

Eric Fearon, M.D., Ph.D. is the Deputy Director of Basic Sciences for the Comprehensive Cancer Center.

There are currently six basic research programs:

• Cancer Cell Biology
• Cancer Genetics Program
• Molecular Imaging Program
• Molecular Therapeutics Program
• Radiation Sciences Program
• Tumor Immunology and Host Response

 

Cancer Cell Biology

Colin Duckett, Ph.D., co-director
Evan Keller, D.V.M., Ph.D., co-director

The investigators in the Cancer Cell Biology Program attempt to understand the basic disturbances that control abnormal growth and invasion of cancer cells. The program is divided into three major groups.

The first examines how cellular factors promote the growth of mammalian cells and the abnormalities that lead to disturbances in growth. The primary focus of this group is the intracellular mechanisms that control cell proliferation.

A second group within the program works on the cell-death pathways. Cell populations are carefully controlled by a combination of cell growth and cell death. If cells fail to undergo programmed cell death, an abnormal increase in the number of cells occurs and cancer can ensue.

Finally, several investigators within the program work on the basic mechanisms of cell adhesion and cell migration. These processes are crucial for the metastasis of cancer cells.

Together, the cancer cell biology group probes the basic mechanisms that distinguish the cancer cell from the normal cell.

 

Cancer Genetics Program

David Beer, Ph.D., co-director
Eric Fearon, M.D., Ph.D., co-director

The Cancer Genetics Program is an interdisciplinary research group that seeks to understand the nature and role of mutations and gene expression changes in the development and behavior of cancer. Investigators in the Cancer Genetics Program are highly committed to the pursuit of research that will not only advance understanding of the origins and nature of cancer but that will also lead to novel diagnostic approaches for cancer and improved clinical management of cancer patients. The program has four principal areas of interest:

• Identification of germline and somatic mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in cancers of various types.
• Characterization of factors and mechanisms regulating gene expression in normal cells as well as the means by which gene expression defects contribute to cancer.
• Generation of novel tissue culture and mouse model systems for investigating the contribution of mutations and gene expression changes in cancer initiation and progression.
• Investigation of key factors regulating DNA repair and chromosome structure in normal and cancer cells.

Investigators in the program collaborate with investigators in other University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center programs in the Basic Science, Clinical Science and Population Sciences divisions, including Cancer Cell Biology, Experimental Therapeutics, Breast Oncology, Gastrointestinal Oncology, Prostate/Urologic Oncology, Childhood Cancer and Cancer Prevention.

 

Molecular Imaging Program

Alnawaz Rehemtulla, Ph.D., co-director
Brian Ross, Ph.D., co-director

Molecular imaging is an emerging field in which modern tools of cell and molecular biology in combination with state-of-the-art, non-invasive imaging technologies are used to monitor biological processes in living organisms.

Non-invasive technologies - including magnetic-resonance imaging, magnetic-resonance spectroscopic imaging, positron emission tomography and optical imaging - currently contribute significantly to drug discovery research with emphasis on drug efficacy, the mechanism of action and target validation studies in animal disease models in vivo. The potential for extending these technologies to human studies and the implication of using molecular imaging techniques to bridge the gap between preclinical and clinical research for the development of a successful drug is the focus of research currently underway within the program.

Current clinical studies include investigating the use of Diffusion Weighted MRI as an early predictor of tumor response to therapeutic interventions. This technology will also provide important information on the optimal timing and dosing of therapy as well as delineate regions within a single tumor that are responsive or non-responsive to the therapy.

 

Molecular Therapeutics Program

Shaomeng Wang, Ph.D., co-director
James R. Baker, Jr., M.D., co-director, co-director

During the past two decades, new knowledge in cancer and cell biology has fueled considerable advances in the development of molecularly targeted therapeutic agents that work better and are less toxic than conventional chemotherapy. The design and development of these targeted anti-cancer therapies is one of the most exciting areas of in cancer research.

The U-M Molecular Therapeutics Program was established in 2004 to translate research involving molecularly targeted agents into the clinic and to create new cancer nano-therapy platforms to significantly improve the treatment of human cancer. Led by Shaomeng Wang, Ph.D., and James Baker, M.D., two internationally recognized scientists in cancer therapeutics and nano-medicine, the program receives in excess of $7.8 million in total direct research funding.

Twenty-six investigators from five U-M schools take part in the program. Their research interests include:

• the discovery and design of molecularly targeted drugs;
• isolation, biosynthesis and characterization of marine natural products as novel anti-cancer agents;
• the basic mechanisms of action of novel anti-cancer agents; and
• design and development of nano-scale cancer therapeutics.

Investigators work closely with members of other basic and clinical programs, such as those in Breast Oncology, Prostate Oncology, Head and Neck Oncology, Cancer Cell Biology and Molecular Imaging.

Radiation Sciences Program

Theodore S. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D., co-director
Mats E. Ljungman, Ph.D., co-director

The Radiation Sciences Program is a newly formed Cancer Center Program with two chief interest groups, the Biology Interest Group and the Medical Physics Interest Group. The major goal of the Radiation Sciences Program is to provide an academic structure to bring laboratory scientists and clinicians together to stimulate collaborations and initiate potential program projects and clinical trials.

The Biology Interest Group brings together investigators interested in the basic biology of DNA damage responses in cells. DNA damage is a major initiator of cancer and most neoplastic cells show evidence of self-inflicted DNA damage due to replication stress induced by inappropriate activation of proliferation signals. Moreover, many DNA-damaging agents, such as ionizing radiation, are used as anticancer agents and the dose-limiting side effects are in many cases attributable to DNA damage-induced toxicity in normal tissue. Thus, a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of DNA damage responses are important for our understanding of carcinogenesis as well as for the design of improved anti-cancer treatments and the sparing of normal tissue. Investigators in the Radiation Sciences Program is especially interested in discovering new molecular targets that can be exploited to improve radiotherapy of tumors and to enhance resistance of normal tissues.

The basic research areas of interest for the investigators in the Radiation Sciences Program include:

The Medical Physics Interest Group focuses on the medical application of physics to the practice of radiation oncology. This group has a long track record of developing novel highly conformal radiation therapy techniques. This group has strong interactions with many clinical programs in the Cancer Center including Head and Neck, GI, Lung, Breast, and Prostate. In addition, this group has worked with clinicians in neuro-oncology and with the new Molecular Imaging Program to develop new methods of functional imaging in the CNS.

Specific topics of interest include developing new methods of

The program is composed of more than 20 researchers from several different disciplines, including radiation oncology, pharmacology, internal medicine, pediatrics, pathology, and molecular medicine and genetics.

For more information, please visit http://sitemaker.umich.edu/radiation.sciences.

 

 

Tumor Immunology and Host Response

Yang Liu, M.D., Ph.D.co-director
Gabriel Nuñez, M.D., co-director

The Tumor Immunology and Host Response Program seeks to understand the immune response to tumor cells and the regulation of tumor development and progression by normal cells present in the tumor microenvironment. Investigators in the program belong to different departments and have research interests and expertise in the areas of immunology, inflammation and non-immunological aspects of the host response to tumors. The Tumor Immunology and Host Response Program is interested in pursuing research that will not only advance our understanding of the relationship between the immune system and tumor cells but also will lead to improved clinical management of cancer patients. The program has several areas of interest including:

• the role of adaptive immunity (B and T cells) in tumor immunosurveillance and its application of cancer vaccines and immunotherapy;
• the role of innate immune cells (e.g. macrophages, NK cells), non-immune cells (e. g. fibroblasts, endothelial cells) and their secreted factors in the regulation of tumor promotion and suppression;
• the mechanisms of tumor cell recognition by innate and adaptive immune cells;
• the identification and characterization of normal cells and factors that promote or suppress growth and survival of cancer stem cells; and
• the role of pathogenic and commensal microbiota in tumor development.

last updated 6/2009

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