Cancer Therapeutics Research Program
The Cancer Therapeutics Research Program has highly integrated basic, translational and clinical sciences with the goal to combine these elements to develop novel therapeutics, biomarkers and clinical trials.
Program members collaborate in the iterative process of taking exciting basic science leads into clinical investigations that in turn feed back to the laboratories to refine scientific questions and approaches. The investigators have diverse scientific areas of expertise including clinical researchers who are organized into multidisciplinary disease-site groups with each featuring medical, surgical, pathology, radiology and other clinical specialties. Our overarching goal is to discover and develop novel therapeutics that directly benefit patients with cancer.
The Cancer Therapeutics Research Program is comprised of investigators whose work relates to questions of:
- Structural biology: This is comprised of investigators with expertise in X-ray crystallography, NMR and computer modeling
- Drug discovery/development/delivery: This includes investigators with expertise in screening and small molecule medicinal chemistry, drug testing in animal models and the development of novel formulations and vehicles (nanoparticles, viral delivery)
- Pharmacology and pharmacogenetics: This includes investigators studying the pharmacology and pharmacodynamics of novel therapeutics, and well as investigators focusing on the genetics of drug toxicity in humans
- Oncogenic signaling: This includes investigators with expertise in signaling networks involving receptors, GTPases, protein kinases and phospholipases
- Clinical research: This includes clinical investigators who have expertise in phase I-III trials including investigator initiated, national cooperative group and industry-sponsored trials
These components of the program mutually interact with one another, as well as with other cancer center programs. Through these interactions, nearly all steps critical to the discovery and development of promising new therapies are now available to cancer center members.
The Cancer Therapeutics Research Program is committed to the mentorship and professional development of trainees and junior faculty working hand in hand with CRTEC with opportunities including the CT annual retreat, grant writing workshops, clinical research course, and seminars and workshops for postdoctoral trainees. Our members are committed to disseminating results and engaging in community outreach working hand in hand with Community Outreach and Engagement.
Program Goals
In pursuit of our mission to integrate basic, translational and clinical sciences to develop novel therapeutics, biomarkers and clinical trials, the goals of the program are as follows:
- To develop cancer therapeutics including novel vehicles, drug delivery formulations, and innovative tool compounds
- To perform high-resolution, mechanistic characterization of cancer-associated vulnerabilities for the development of novel therapeutics
- To conduct tissue-based state-of-the-art ‘omics research for drug discovery and biomarker development
- To integrate areas of scientific and clinical excellence by evaluating new therapies through innovative investigator-initiated clinical trials and providing leadership for collaborative national trials