Program 15: Cancer Cell Biology

Cancer Cell Biology Program Project Summary / Abstract The mission of the Cancer Cell Biology (CCB) Program is to facilitate basic cancer research and accelerate the application of basic science discoveries in the clinic through a deep understanding of the cellular and molecular factors that underlie tumor formation, progression, and metastasis. Program members develop and utilize a wide variety of cutting-edge technologies to address fundamental problems in cancer cell biology with the goal of clinical translation. These technologies include molecular, biochemical, cell-based, and in vivo approaches aimed at better understanding basic mechanisms of tumor behavior and therapeutic vulnerabilities. The Program’s 120 members (90 primary and 30 secondary) represent all seven DF/HCC institutions and 18 academic departments. In 2019, peer-reviewed grant funding attributed to the Program was $19.3 million in direct costs from the NCI and $13.4 million from other sponsors. During the current funding period, primary members of the CCB Program published 1,240 cancer-relevant papers. Of these, 23% were inter-institutional, 15% were intra-programmatic, and 36% were inter-programmatic collaborations between two or more DF/HCC members. For the next CCSG funding period, the Program has three Specific Aims: 1) Elucidate the pathophysiology of cancer; 2) Develop and disseminate new technologies for cancer research; and 3) Foster synergy between clinical translation and basic research. These Aims will be achieved through established CCSG channels that enable meaningful and productive scientific interactions between CCB and the Cancer Center’s ten disease- specific Programs, three Basic Science Programs, three Programs in classical population sciences, and two unique Programs in cancer risk, prevention, and early detection (CaRPED) and Developmental Therapeutics. Overall, the Program is deeply committed to training future generations of basic and translational scientists and to translating our members’ fundamental laboratory findings into proof-of-concept testing in DF/HCC clinical trials.