Faculty & Research - Cancer Pharmacology
The Cancer Pharmacology research program within the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology seeks to identify the molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells subvert normal control and to exploit this knowledge to develop novel therapeutics to treat and prevent cancer. Many of the genetic mutations involved in cancer development have been identified. However, less is known about them molecular mechanisms by which these specific genetic changes lead to the cancer phenotype. Research within the department is focused on the signal transduction pathways that are involved in cellular proliferation, differentiation and death, and how these pathways are modified in cancer cells. Specifically, department researchers are studying the role of protein kinases, including protein kinase A and protein kinase C, the parathyroid hormone-related protein and the hedgehog signaling pathways in cellular signaling and cancer.
Several department faculty are primary members of the Sealy Center for Cancer Cell Biology (SCCCB). One primary research focus within the SCCCB is to determine the molecular mechanisms by which environmental factors, such as carcinogen exposure, diet, and UV irradiation, cause increased cancer incidence. Major research programs include the development of animal models of human cancer, and collaborative research with major pharmaceutical companies to discover and develop novel therapeutics for the diagnoses, treatment and prevention of cancer.
- Xiaodong Cheng, Ph.D.
- Professor
- Cary W. Cooper, Ph.D.
- Professor
- Miriam A. Falzon, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor
- Jingwu Xie, Ph.D.
- Associate Professor
- Binhua Zhou, M.D, Ph.D.
- Assistant Professor