Molecular Therapies of Cancer Scientific Program

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The Molecular Therapeufics of Cancer Program (MTCP) is a "translational research" effort interfacing basic scientists with clinicians specializing in cancer diagnosis and treatment. The program has deep strengths in lung cancer research and has used this experience to catalyze addifional research that links disease oriented teams and basic researchers. The MTCP also provides a major series of bridges through its interactions other Cancer Center Programs. The goals of the MTCP are to understand the molecular events (genetic and epigenefic) leading to cancer, as well as understanding the role of inter-individual genefic variation in developing and treating cancer, and use this informafion to provide a rafionale basis for developing novel diagnostic, prevention, and therapeutic strategies. Specifically the MTCP seeks to: ¿ Understand the molecular pathogenesis of cancers with a focus on human tissues and model systems with a particular emphasis on lung cancer. This includes both descripfion of the abnormalifies and demonstrating their funcfional relevance as biologic, therapeufic and diagnostic targets. ¿ Develop new cancer imaging and nanotechnology tools to deliver novel imaging agents and therapeufics to highlight these targets in vivo in preclinical model and later in the clinic. ¿ Develop molecular therapeutics including those involving or combined with radiafion targeted at the abnormalities found in studies of the molecular pathogenesis as well as the identificafion and use of specific cell surface markers characterisfic of certain cancers as therapeufic targets. ¿ Develop tumor molecular biomarkers that allow predicfion of clinical behavior and response to specific treatments of individual patients so that treatment can be "personalized." ¿ Use advances in the other Cancer Center Programs (Chemistry and Cancer, Cancer Cell Networks, and Development and Cancer) to inform each of these prior themes in a way that is unique to the Simmons Cancer Center and that will provide synergy of research efforts and facilitate translafion to the clinic at UTSW.