Molecular Pathology of Carcinogenesis

Most of the Molecular Pathology faculty involved in the study of carcinogenesis are associated with the Department of Molecular Pathology at M. D. Anderson. The primary focus of the Department of Molecular Pathology at M. D. Anderson is research on the genes and gene products involved in the abnormal growth of tumor cells, and the mechanisms by which these abnormal gene products induce cancer. The long-term goal of these studies is to develop new diagnostic reagents and new therapeutic strategies for cancer. The research activities of the department include several areas of investigations that relate to these themes.

• One area concerns gene products of proto-oncogenes involved in either malignant tumor formation or leukemia. These particular gene products have been found to possess an important regulatory enzyme activity (for example, a protein kinase) that modulates signal transduction in different cellular pathways.
• A second area of research concerns the study of a new class of genes involved in prolonging the survival of non-growing cells by blocking programmed cell death, or apoptosis. This prolonged survival is believed to enable cells to undergo further genetic mutations that eventually lead to a malignant state.
• A third area concerns the role of cell-adhesion proteins involved in cell-to-cell interaction, with particular emphasis on prostate and breast cancers. A recent faculty addition to the department provides expertise in the study of Proteomics. Following advances in sequencing the human genome (DNA), the next challenge is to probe the structure and function of the proteins encoded by the genome, hence the term "Proteomics."
  

Other areas of research include:

• Genes involved in drug resistance
• Novel and ultrasensitive methods for detecting, separating and quantitating malignant cells in normal cell populations in tissue and body fluids
• Factors required for progression of B-cell lymphoma
  A newly discovered protein kinase that regulates events in mitosis in breast cancer and other cancers
• Genes involved in reactive oxygen as they relate to cancer
• Genes associated with day/night changes (the circadian clock) in gene expression as they relate to cancer and signal transduction pathways involved in cell adhesion changes in cancer cells
• HIV vaccines and HIV therapy
• Retrovirus-mediated gene therapy for treating cancer
• Gene therapy for liver disease

Research activities are supported in large part by peer-reviewed grants awarded to our faculty. These include grants from the National Cancer Institute, American Cancer Society, and the Department of Defense. Other support is provided by industrial firms through licensing arrangements on either issued patents or pending patents. Gift funds provide additional research support to various investigators in the department.

The department has a core facility laboratory that provides synthetic peptide reagents and other protein/peptide-related services for faculty and staff researchers and/or clinicians. Synthetic peptides are used primarily to produce antibodies as probes for basic and clinical research. In addition, synthetic peptides are used as ligands to mimic various ligands, growth factors and cytokines for protein interaction studies.

Associated Faculty

Ralph B. Arlinghaus, Ph.D.: Professor and chairman of the Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. RNA tumor viruses (retroviruses), the v-Mos oncoprotein, and the role of Bcr in Bcr-Abl positive human leukemia.

Jiale Dai, Ph.D: Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Molecular genetics and biology of breast cancer.

Madeleine Duvic, M.D.: Professor, Department of Dermatology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Molecular Pathogenesis of Skin Diseases

Richard J. Ford, M.D., Ph.D.: Professor, Chief; Section of Pathobiology, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Cell growth control in normal and neoplastic human B lymphocytes.

Peter R. C. Gascoyne, Ph.D.: Professor, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Development of dielectric methods for discriminating between, and isolating, diseased cells and pathogens.

Peng Huang, M.D., Ph.D.: Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Biochemical and molecular mechanisms of action of anticancer agents.

Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D.:Chairman, Dept. of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Director, Breast Cancer Basic Research Program, Ruth Legett Jones Distinguished Chair Professor. Oncogenes, Tumor Suppressor Genes, Signal Transduction, and Gene Therapy.

Ryuji Kobayashi, Ph.D.: Professor, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Method development in proteomics research; Bcr-Abl signaling in leukemia; TCL-1 function in T-cell tumorigenesis; protein S-nitrosylation.

M. Tien Kuo, Ph.D.: Felix L. Haas Professor in Basic Science Department of Molecular Pathology
Chief, Section of Eukaryotic Cell Research, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer. Evolution of drug resistance and tumor development; Targeted prodrug therapy of liver cancers; Genomic instability and evolution of drug resistance.

Sue-Hwa Lin, Ph.D.: Professor, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Prostate cancer bone metastasis; Roles of CEACAM1 cell adhesion molecule in prostate cancer; Roles of anti-angiogenic protein 16-kDa prolactin in prostate cancer.

Timothy J. McDonnell, M.D., Ph.D.: Professor, Department of Molecular Pathology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Molecular oncology; Molecular determinants of therapeutic response

Jagannadha K. Sastry, Ph.D.:Professor, Department of Immunology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. HIV-AIDS; cervical cancer; vaccines; cellular immunology; synthetic peptides.

Elizabeth L. Travis, Ph.D.: Professor, Experimental and Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Radiation-induced fibrosis; genetic basis of tissue radiation sensitivity and fibrosis; growth factors.