CANCER BIOLOGY

癌症生物学计划由35个参与成员组成，代表着每年1660万美元的直接成本(总成本2370万美元)的同行审查资金总额。在过去的两年中，其成员共发表了291篇与癌症相关的同行评议的出版物，其中18%是方案内和方案间的合作。该计划的重点是将正常细胞转化为恶性肿瘤的分子机制，以及使它们能够逃避生长控制的肿瘤细胞的特征。它还研究了它们如何暂停正常的分化途径，改变它们与邻近细胞和组织的关系，以及获得侵袭或转移能力。了解这些机制和特性将有助于改进现有的癌症治疗方法，并有助于开发新的癌症诊断和治疗策略。为了实现其目标，肿瘤生物学计划由以下几个重点领域组成：1.生长控制：研究生长因子和肿瘤促进剂的作用，细胞周期控制和癌基因作用。2.肿瘤发生中的细胞相互作用：细胞黏附分子、糖蛋白及其在细胞与细胞、细胞与基质相互作用、细胞侵袭和转移中的作用。3.对细胞外刺激和应激的反应：信号转导、细胞因子转导、细胞因子生物学、细胞对遗传毒性应激的反应和癌蛋白激活的机制。4.基础细胞生物学：正常细胞和肿瘤细胞内的蛋白质运输、蛋白质周转及其在细胞调节中的作用。5.分化发育调控：淋系和髓系细胞分化及转录调控。6.化学生物学：研究对肿瘤细胞有特异作用的天然生物化合物和合成有机化合物。

The Cancer Biology Program consists of 35 Participating Members, representing total peer-reviewed funding of $16.6 Million in annual direct costs ($23.7 Million in total costs). During the last two years, its Members generated a total of 291 cancer-relevant, peer-reviewed publications, 18% of which were intra- and inter-programmatic collaborations. The Program is focused on molecular mechanisms that convert normal cells into malignant tumors and on characteristics of tumor cells that enable them to escape growth control. It also investigates ways in which they suspend regular differentiation pathways, alter their relationships with neighboring cells and tissues and acquire invasive or metastatic capabilities. Understanding of these mechanisms and properties will facilitate improvement in existing cancer therapies and contribute to the development of new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. To achieve its goals, the Cancer Biology Program is composed of the following focus areas: 1. Growth Control: investigation of growth factor and tumor promoter action, cell cycle control and oncogene action. 2. Cellular Interactions in Tumor Development: cell adhesion molecules, glycoproteins and their role in cell-to-cell and cell-matrix interactions, cell invasiveness and metastasis. 3. Responses to Extracellular Stimuli and Stress: mechanisms of signal transduction, cytokine transduction, cytokine biology, cellular responses to genotoxic stress and oncoprotein activation. 4. Basic Cell Biology: protein trafficking within normal and tumor cells, protein turnover and its role in cell regulation. 5. Control of Differentiation and Development: lymphoid and myeloid cell differentiation and transcription regulation. 6. Chemical Biology: Investigation of natural biological compounds and synthetic organic chemicals which exert effects specifically on tumor cells.