Cancer Genes and Molecular Targeting

Program Leader: Thomas O'Halloran, PhD
Program Co-Leader: Boris Pasche, MD, PhD

The Cancer Genes and Molecular Targeting Program of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center is a basic research program that evolved from the Cancer Genes and Molecular Targeting Program as synthetic chemistry, structural biology and clinical groups have joined teams to address translational aspects of cancer diagnosis and treatment. In this program fundamental biology groups, whose focus is on cancer relevant genes and processes discover targets, work with groups that make powerful multifunctional small-molecules and nano-scale agents, and target newly identified tumor susceptibility alleles in metastatic cancer. The resulting new molecular entities are then developed in collaboration with clinical research groups as molecular diagnostics and/or therapeutic agents. Thomas O'Halloran, PhD, an internationally-recognized biological chemist is the Program Leader, and Boris Pasche, MD, PhD, an internationall- known clinician and cancer geneticist is the Program Co-Leader. This is an interdisciplinary program composed of 28 faculty from 12 departments in 3 schools. Between January 2001 and September 2006 there have been 256 cancer-relevant publications from the current program members. Twenty-Six (10.2%) of these publications represent intra-programmatic collaborations and 84 (32.8%) represent inter-programmatic collaborations. Total current cancer-relevant peer-reviewed funding is $9,148,646 (direct) with $2,706,671 (direct) from NCI, and $6,441,975 (direct) from other peer-reviewed sources. The three programmatic themes include: studies of fundamental mechanisms and molecular pathways that control growth, differentiation and oncogenesis; development of novel diagnostic agents and techniques that facilitate early detection of cancer; and, discovery of new anticancer agents using both novel biological insights and recent advances in Nanotechnology. The fundamental mechanisms that control growth and differentiation involve molecules whose aberrant expression in malignancy provide targets for novel diagnostic probes and therapeutic strategies. Program members have elucidated the key genetic, biochemical and structural characteristics of factors associated with cellular transformation. Innovative high throughput, high sensitivity diagnostic methods have been developed for detection of mutations in cancer-associated genes and imaging of early stage tumors. In addition, promising cytotoxic agents are being investigated including arsenical agents that have proven powerful in leukemia treatments, novel purine analogs (8-CL and 8-NH3 Adenosine), and a variety of new polymer nanoparticle forms of established agents such as doxorubicin. This Program serves as a forum to link basic biological investigation with practical applications from the fields of chemistry, cancer genetics and nanotechnology. Program members are highly interactive and collaborate both intra- and interprogrammatically on a broad spectrum of translational projects.

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