Research
Cancer Biology Research Center (CBC)
Mission
The mission of the Cancer Biology Research Center (CBC) is to advance understanding, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by generating new knowledge in normal and cancer cell biology and by participating in the application of this knowledge to translational and clinical investigation.
Current Members
Currently, the CBC is directed by Dr. M.-H Wang with five members including Drs. J. Gunaje, M. Moridani, K.S. Srivenugopal, M.-H. Wang, and J. Weidanz. They are all from the School of Pharmacy.
Background & Accomplishments
The CBC was formed in 1999 with common interests and goals shared by several faculty members in the School of Pharmacy. Since its establishment, the CBC has matured significantly with notable visibilities in the field of cancer research. Armed with different backgrounds and areas of expertise, members of the CBC work together with a clear objective: to understand the oncogenic mechanisms that lead to normal cell transformation and malignant progression.
Since 1998, the members of the CBC have obtained 11 research grants from different sources. The detailed funding sources are as follows:
- three NIH R01 grants,
- one NIH R21 grant,
- two NIH R43 grants,
- one grant from the American Heart Association,
- one research grant from the Pediatric Tumor Foundation, Amarillo Area Foundation,
- one endowment from the Chung Kung Scholars Program of Chinese Ministry of Education,
- and one research grant from the Chinese National Sciences Foundation.
Through collaborative and intensive research, the members of the CBC have also published more than 50 articles in highly peer-reviewed journals, including Oncogene, JBC, Carciongenesis, Cancer Letter, Protein Science, and Experimental Cell Research. They also serve in various national committees, as NIH Study Section members, journal ad-hoc reviewers, and conference organizer and chair. Moreover, the CBC has helped faculty members establish close relationships with various biotechnology companies, including Eurgene, Biosources Internationals, and others, and has resulted in the licensing of several research products to these companies.
As an academic entity, the CBC has gained a significant reputation in the cancer research areas, including:
- chemical carcinogenesis,
- signaling pathways,
- DNA repair mechanisms,
- growth factor oncogenesis,
- and T cell malignancy.
These activities also increase the visibility of TTUHSC and the SOP in the nation and world. The increased ranking of the School of Pharmacy in the nation (from ranking 60 to 42) is an excellent example.