Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis

The overall goal of the Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program is to understand normal and malignant cell growth and differentiation. A major objective is to better understand the biological impact of specific molecular events associated with tumor formation and the progression toward metastatic disease. Several member laboratories are studying large protein complexes and cellular machines, how cellular networks respond to different signaling pathways, and how changes in global patterns of gene expression at the genetic and protein levels influence normal and disease processes. Current and emerging investigative strategies and disciplines that are particularly critical for systems analyses of human diseases include nucleotide microarrays, proteomics, computational biology, and functional genomics. The program has an emerging experimental therapeutics focus that builds on the unique biological models for regeneration and cancer.