Cancer Biology

Cancer has recently surpassed heart disease as the number one killer in the U.S. population. The evolving technologies in molecular biology, imaging, and rational drug design and screening have lead to rapid expansion of new strategies for prevention, detection and treatment of human malignancies. The goal of the Cancer Biology Track is to educate the next generation of cancer researchers to meet the growing demands for scientists trained in multiple facets of cancer biology. Faculty in this track possess a broad range of expertise in cancer research including genomics/proteomics, cell signaling and receptor biology, tumor immunology, DNA repair, structural biology, viral oncogenesis, drug discovery, chemoprevention, experimental therapeutics, and clinical trials. The curriculum stresses both basic and translational research to provide the broad background in oncology needed to foster the research accomplishments of tomorrow.

The track leaders, along with their contact information, are:

Sue Naylor	naylor@uthscsa.edu	210-567-3842
James Freeman	freemanjw@uthscsa.edu	210-567-5298

Cancer Biology Track Members

AGUIAR, Ricardo, Biochemistry - Leukemia and lymphoma, molecular basis of clinical heterogeneity.

AMMANAMANCHI, Sudhakar, Hematology/Medical Oncology - Growth factor receptors, oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes.

BISHOP, Alex, C&S Biology & GCCRI - Cancer genetics and Genomics, DNA damage/Genomic instability, Animal model systems.

BOYER, Thomas, Molecular Medicine - Role of oncoproteins and tumor suppressor proteins in transcription regulation and DNA repair.

CHATTERJEE, Bandana, Molecular Medicine - Nuclear receptors and metabolic regulation; androgen receptor in prostate cancer and gene regulation.

CHEN, Shuo, Pediatric Dentistry - Androgen receptor and prostate cancer development.

CHEN, Yumay, Medicine (Nephrology) - Cell cycle regulation, apoptosis and DNA repair/ genome instability.

CURIEL, Tyler, San Antonio Cancer Institute - Cancer immunology, translational research, signal transduction, metastasis, tumor Microenvironment.

DAHIA, Patricia, C&S Biology & Hematology/Medical Oncology - Biologcal signatures, pheochromocytomas, mitochondria, hypoxia, genomics of cancer.

DEGRAFFENRIED, Linda, Hematology/Medical Oncology - Signal transduction, molecular therapeutics and mechanisms of resistance.

FOWLER, Larry J., Pathology - Anatomic pathology, proteomics, breast, lung and endocrine cancer.

FREEMAN, James, Hematology/Medical Oncology - Cell signaling, experimental therapeutics.

GACZYNSKA, Maria, Molecular Medicine - Role of controlled proteolysis in cancer, molecular medicine.

GAO, Shou-Jiang, GCCRI - Cancer biology, tumor virology, signaling, AIDS/cancer.

GAZITT, Yair, Hematology/Medical Oncology - Drug resistance, multiple myeloma, hematopoietic stem cell biology and clinical application.

GHOSH, Rita, Urology - Carcinogenesis mechanisms, prevention and therapy.

GHOSH-CHOUDHURY, Nandini, Pathology - Cancer growth, apoptosis, metastasis.

HASKINS, William E., Biochemistry - Stem cell pluripotency factors, DNA-binding transcription factors, and posttranslational modifications of these factors in mouse embryonic stem cells and pediatric germ cell tumors.

HERMAN, Brian, C&S Biology - Apoptosis, animal models, aging, imaging.

HINCK, Andrew, Biochemistry - TGF beta interactions, solution NMR spectroscopy.

HORNSBY, Peter, Physiology - Role of telomeres in tumorigenesis.

HU, Yanfen, Molecular Medicine - Mechanism of BRCA1 in tumor suppression.

IZUMI, Kenneth M., Microbiology - Epstein Barr virus, B-lymphocyte transformation, LMP1.

JOHNSON-PAIS, Teresa, Pediatrics - Metastasis, arrays - cancer cell biology.

KELLER, Charles, C&S Biology & GCCRI - Conditional mouse genetics; imaging tumor progression.

KUMAR, A. Pratap, Urology - Nutritional intervention of carcinogenesis.

LEACH, Robin, C&S Biology - Cancer genetic, epidemiolog, tumor suppressor genes.

LEE, Sang, Molecular Medicine - Molecular genetics of DNA damage response.

LI, Rong, Molecular Medicine - The molecular basis of breast cancer.

LIU, Feng, Pharmamcology - Signal transduction.

MARCINIAK, Robert, C&S Biology & Hematology/Medical Oncology - Cancer, telomere maintenance.

MCEWEN, Donald, GCCRI - Cell signaling, Experimental genetics.

NAYLOR, Sue, C&S Biology - Tumor suppressor genes, angiogenesis, biomarkers.

NICHOLSON, Bruce, Biochemistry - Structure and function of gap junctions; gap junctions as tumor suppressors.

OSMULSKI, Pawel A., Molecular Medicine - Role of controlled proteolysis in cancer, molecular medicine.

OYAJOBI, Babatunde, C&S Biology - Myeloma bone disease, breast cancer, experimental therapeutics.

PADALECKI, Susan, C&S Biology & Urology - Bone metastases, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, animal models and breast cancer.

PENALVA, Luiz, C&S Biology & GCCRI - Post-transcriptional regulation, RBPs.

PEREIRA-SMITH,Olivia, C&S Biology - Cell senescence, chromatin remodeling, regulation of genes and cell growth.

RAO, Manjeet, C&S Biology & GCCRI - MicroRNAs and RNA interference in cancer.

REBEL, Vivienne, C&S Biology & GCCRI - Molecular mechanisms of stem cell regulation.

ROBETORYE, Ryan S., Pathology - Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma development and progression, cancer genomics, mouse Models.

SAIKUMAR, Pothana, Pathology - Oncogenes and cell death.

SHARP, Z. Dave, Molecular Medicine - Gene regulation in development; cell growth control in cancer and aging.

SLAGA, Thomas J., Pharmacology - Carcinogenesis, prevention and therapy.

STEFFENSEN, Bjorn, Periodontics - Structure and function of matrix metalloproteinases, extracellular matrix, cancer.

SUN, LuZhe, C&S Biology - Cancer biology, signal transduction, cell cycle, cell senescence,experimental therapeutics.

TEKMAL, Rajeshwar, OB-GYN - Breast/ovary/cervical cancers, hormonal carcinogenesis/steroid hormone research.

TROYER, Dean A., Pathology - Pathology and biology of cancer, urological cancers.

VADLAMUDI, Ratna K., OB-GYN - Signal transduction, nuclear receptors, coregulators, Tg/KO mouse models.

VOGEL, Kristine, C&S Biology - NFI, animal models for nervous system cancers, DNA damage/repair.

WALASZEK, Margaret Hanausek, Pharmacology - Cancer prevention.

WALASZEK, Zbigniew, Pharmamcology - Cancer prevention.

WALTER, Chris, C&S Biology - DNA repair in development, aging and cancer.

YEW, P. Renee, Molecular Medicine - Cell cycle regulation in vertebrates and the role of ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis in cancer.

ZHANG, Wei, Pharmacology - Gene therapy.

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