Translational Molecular Oncology

The overarching goals of our research program are to move basic laboratory discoveries into clinical practice to advance the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The translational oncology research in our laboratory is powered by the horizontal integration of diverse experimental approaches including molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, drug development, mouse models, and molecular imaging.

Our laboratory has previously established proof-of-concept (PoC) for targeting several signal transduction pathways that are aberrantly activated in cancer, including Hypoxia-Inducible Factor, CXCR4, Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Receptor, and the Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins. We have active research programs focused on targeting hypoxic tumor cells, oncogenic transcription factors, epigenetic modifying enzymes, and modulators of apoptosis.

To accelerate preclinical and early clinical PoC studies, we have helped to establish the Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology that integrates preclinical and clinical imaging research on an enterprise level. We have recently opened the Lurie Family Imaging center (LFIC), a 14,000 sq ft state-of-the-art preclinical imaging and experimental therapeutics facility. Studies at the LFIC emphasize the identification and validation of novel cancer therapies and imaging biomarkers for PoC studies in preclinical and clinical trials.