Cancer Biology Research
Since the signing of the National Cancer Act in 1971 there has been enormous growth in our understanding of cancer biology and we are beginning to see the application of this knowledge to develop improved treatments for cancer. Faculty in the Pharmacology Department are at the forefront of this research with the broad goal of developing a detailed understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms that drive cancer cell behavior and then applying this understanding to develop better, more tailored treatments for cancer. This concept, which exemplifies the idea of personalized medicine, is pursued in close collaboration with our colleagues in the University of Colorado Cancer Center to ensure that discoveries in the Department can be rapidly translated to the clinic.
Specific areas of cancer biology research in the Department include the study of mechanisms of cancer drug resistance, metastasis and tumor cell growth and death using cell biological, structural, biochemical, genetic and bioinformatics approaches. Additionally we have a major emphasis on the development of methods to identify gene expression patterns and other markers that predict which patients will be most likely to benefit from treatment with a particular anti-cancer drug.
Primary Faculty
Joshua Black
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., 2008, Univ. of California, Los Angeles
Understanding how the chromatin microenvironment regulates genome stability, cancer cell heterogeneity and chemotherapeutic response.
M. Cecilia Caino
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., 2010, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Our group aims to understand how mitochondria reprogramming in tumors impact cellular behaviors that drive progressive and lethal cancer. We use a broad repertoire of biochemistry, cell biology, live cell imaging and animal models to study the impact of mitochondria shape, number and subcellular distribution in metastatic dissemination.
James C. Costello
Associate Professor
Ph.D., 2009, Indiana Univ.
Systems and network biology approaches to disentangle signaling pathways in cancer development; Computational modeling of how therapeutic compounds function across different genomic backgrounds.
Patricia Ernst
Professor
Ph.D., 1996, Uni. of California, Los Angeles
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development and Maintenance: The Role of the "Mixed Lineage Leukemia" Gene in Normal Blood Cell Development, Differentiation and Leukemia.
Joaquin Espinosa
Professor
Ph.D. 1999, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Mechanisms of gene expression control and cancer biology' for 'Mechanisms of gene expression control, cancer biology, Down syndrome.
Heide L. Ford
Professor and Chair
Ph.D., 1995, Univ. of Rochester
Molecular mechanisms of metastatic dissemination in breast cancers and various pediatric tumors; parallels between normal development and tumor progression with a focus on developmental transcription factors and signaling pathways; epithelial to mesenchymal transition; development of novel inhibitors targeting metastatic dissemination and/or outgrowth
Scott D. Cramer
Professor
Ph.D., 1992, Univ. of California, Santa Cruz
The molecular dissection of signaling pathways in prostatic cells, the identification of prostate progenitor or stem cells, and understanding epithelial-stromal interactions in normal and abnormal ductal morphogenesis.
Tatiana G. Kutateladze
Professor
Ph.D., 1988, Moscow State Univ.
Epigenetics, phosphoinositide signaling, structural biology, NMR and crystal structures of proteins implicated in cancer, structure based drug design.
Andrew M. Thorburn
Professor and Chairman
D.Phil., 1990, Univ. of Oxford
Understanding the signaling mechanisms that control apoptosis in cancer development and during the response of tumor cells to cancer therapeutics.