Department of Cancer Biology

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The Department of Cancer Biology performs lab-based research investigating the molecular pathways driving cancer. We use discoveries about the basic functioning of these pathways to develop novel cancer diagnostics and therapies based on precision medicine. Our team has contributed to a new generation of smart drugs such as imatinib (Gleevec) and gefitinib (Iressa) — bringing the promise of precision medicine closer to reality.

Explore Our Research Focus Areas

Structural Biology

Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery

Gene Regulation

Signaling Mechanisms

Systems Biology and Artificial Intelligence

Bioengineering and Protein Design

Energy Homeostasis and Metabolism

Under the leadership of Department Chair Bradley Bernstein, MD, PhD, our 24 independent faculty and more than 300 laboratory personnel combine structural, chemical, genetic, computational, and biochemical approaches to identify molecular vulnerabilities unique to cancer cells and to generate novel compounds with therapeutic potential.

Meet Our Faculty

Structural Biology

We conduct studies to determine the three-dimensional structures of cancer-associated molecules, how these structures are formed, and how structural alterations affect function. These studies reveal critical features of cancer-associated molecules that inform strategies to target them.

Featured Faculty

Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery

Chemists in our department study the chemical reactions that underlie core biological processes. This enables them to synthesize bioactive molecules and develop small molecule inhibitors for cancer therapy.

Featured Faculty

Gene Regulation

Cancer growth is often fueled by changes in the regulation of gene expression programs. We study the function of proteins that regulate gene expression in cancer and how epigenetic modifications – chemical modifications to DNA or to histones (the proteins that compact DNA) that control gene expression – are altered in cancer. We use this knowledge to devise strategies to restore gene expression patterns to target cancer.

Featured Faculty

Signaling Mechanisms

We investigate the disruption of the molecular pathways governing growth, leading to cancer. Our discoveries provide the basis for new therapies that target molecular defects in specific cancers and help to improve immune system targeting of tumors.

Featured Faculty

Systems Biology and Artificial Intelligence

Systems biologists study the interactions of molecular and cellular components that give rise to emergent behaviors of complex biological systems. We use machine learning and artificial intelligence to model complex pathways and large datasets to discover new nodes of vulnerability in cancer that we can target and to narrow down chemical space to find new small molecule drugs.

Featured Faculty

Bioengineering and Protein Design

Researchers in our department are developing innovative new ways to engineer cancer vaccines and target cancer proteins. In addition, they are designing new proteins for cancer drug delivery and other therapeutic applications.

Featured Faculty

Energy Homeostasis and Metabolism

The regulation of energy intake and utilization at the cellular and organismic level is of profound importance to human health and many cancers hijack metabolic pathways to fuel their growth. We use a combination of biochemical, genetic, and computational techniques to define key molecules and metabolic pathways and find ways to drug them.

Featured Faculty

Department of Cancer Biology