Scientific Goals

In pursuit of its mission to build a comprehensive integrated understanding of the regulatory molecular pathways that are used or dysregulated in different types of human malignancies, the Cell Signaling (CS) Program has three specific aims:

• To understand the molecular signaling processes that regulate tumor susceptibility and development and their resistance to treatment.
   
• To understand the cellular basis of tumor susceptibility, growth and resistance to treatment.
   
• To develop new technologies that enable discovery.

To achieve these aims, the scientific specialties of CS members include both well-known cancer-associated signaling pathways and others focused on potentially novel targets. Areas of emphasis with potential clinical impact for cancer diagnostics and therapy include:

• Velcade resistance in multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma
   
• Molecular targets in neuroendocrine tumors, including thyroid cancer
   
• Drug resistance of tumors treated with DNA damaging agents
   
• Hormone therapy resistance in breast and prostate cancer
   
• iPSC lines to minimize graft-versus-host disease during leukemia treatments
   
• Biomarkers for patients at risk
   
• Combination therapies for leukemic populations
   
• Personalized medicine diagnostics