Cancer Biology

The Cancer Biology research program seeks to better understand how cancer starts, progresses, and reacts to therapies and medications. This work is particularly relevant to the WVU Cancer Institute’s service area due to the disproportionate cancer burden driven by high rates of tobacco use, obesity, and environmental exposures underscoring the need for biological discovery that explains and addresses the catchment area’s elevated cancer mortality. 

The Cancer Biology research program:

• Defines the molecular, cellular, and microenvironmental determinants of tumor development and progression.
• Elucidates mechanisms of therapeutic response, resistance, and tumor adaptation.
• Develops and evaluates strategies to disrupt tumor development, progression, and treatment resistance.