Cancer Biology

Most significant breakthroughs in cancer therapy originate in discoveries made in basic cancer research. Cancer biology study fundamental questions that underlie the development and progression of cancer, leading to the discovery of biological mechanisms and critical molecular pathways underlying tumorigenesis within tumors.

Since tumors are multicellular heterogeneous tissues, cancer biologists investigate different cell populations that make up tumors, such as cancer stem cells. They also study the crosstalk between cancer cells and surrounding cells, collectively termed the tumor microenvironment (TME), as well as the role of the immune system in tumorigenesis. An important aspect of cancer biology is the study of metastasis, tumor cells that are located at a distance from the original tumor.

Finally, system-level analysis enables unbiased global views of tumors (cancer-omics) and generates predictions that are then tested experimentally and clinically. All of these, collectively, form the basis for the future development of diagnostic tools and cancer therapies.