The program offers focused and comprehensive training in the discipline of cancer biology. Modern cancer research is based on a broad range of technical skills, including molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, cancer immunology, biostatistics, and bioinformatics, all of which the student will learn through coursework and laboratory training. Further training includes exercises designed to develop independent thinking, skills in oral and written presentation, analysis of data and information, and dissemination of information through teaching. The program prepares students with the necessary theoretical and practical skills to succeed in an increasingly wide range of available careers, including academic research, undergraduate teaching, science writing, and basic or applied science in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.
Major research efforts include studies on tumor immunity, angiogenesis, growth factor and cytokine signaling, oncogenes, tumor suppressors, matrix and matrix degradation, cell adhesion, metastasis, development and translation of new therapeutics for cancer, as well as systems biology as applied to cancer growth, metastasis, and response to drugs. These studies use state-of-the-art technologies, including all aspects of molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, genetically modified mice, "omics," mathematical modeling, and others.
Faculty within the program also participate in interdisciplinary training programs in cancer research supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.