Mission:

The mission of the Department of Carcinogenesis at the Science Park - Research Division of the UTMDACC is to identify and investigate critical cellular and molecular targets involved in the process of carcinogenesis and to use this information in mechanism-driven cancer prevention studies. This mission is carried out by multidisciplinary research teams, a unique aspect of the Science Park - Research Division that strongly facilitates attacking these complex problems. There are six major research areas in the Carcinogenesis Program: i) Environmental Carcinogenesis/Molecular Epidemiology, ii) DNA Damage, Repair, and Mutagenesis, iii) Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis, iv) Genetic Susceptibility to Carcinogenesis, v) Mechanisms of Chemoprevention/Intervention of Carcinogenesis, and vi) Animal Models.

The overall goals of our research program are to understand basic mechanisms, identify new targets for prevention/therapy, identify new markers for early detection, and identify genetic determinants of cancer susceptibility.