Program Leaders:

Welford, Scott, Ph.D.
Rai, Priyamvada, Ph.D.

Overview

Cancer research is gradually changing from a primary focus on individual gene mutations to a broader, more integrated perspective that includes cellular interactions within the complex biological landscape of tumors. The Tumor Biology (TB) Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center focuses on understanding:

• The cell biological processes that are altered during tumor initiation and progression.
• How cancers arise and progress.
• Key interactions between tumor and non-malignant tissue to ultimately develop promising new treatment strategies for cancer patients. By investigating instances of therapeutic failure and resistance, we work to identify molecular alterations that can lead to the development of evidence-based novel therapeutic approaches that target the biological and molecular features of cancer cells.

The Program’s mission is to apply cutting-edge technologies and utilize innovative in-vitro and in-vivo models of cancer to provide leading-edge care for cancer patients in Florida, the United States, and around the globe.

• Creating an environment of scientific excellence.
• Fostering collaborative and synergistic relationships with Sylvester members and investigators across the Miller School of Medicine and the University of Miami.
• Investing in promising new projects and investigators spanning the continuum of basic science, translational, and clinical research.

Program Goals

The TB Program is organized into three interrelated specific aims:

1. Elucidate mechanisms of tumor initiation. Define how environmental cues and alterations in cell-intrinsic signaling underlie critical events of tumorigenesis with a focus on cellular stress responses, pro-inflammatory signals, and developmental signaling.
2. Investigate the underpinnings of tumor progression and treatment resistance. Determine how tumors progress and reprogram innate or adaptive immune functions in their tumor microenvironment (TME) to develop therapeutic resistance.
3. Determine druggable vulnerabilities in cancer. Identify targetable molecular weaknesses in cancer cells to develop new precision medicine strategies and promote translational research with the other Research Programs.

Learn more about our NCI-supported P01 in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Program Members

• Agarwal, Ashutosh, Ph.D.
• Ahmad, Anis, Ph.D.
• Ahn, Jeonghyun, Ph.D.
• Barrientos, Antonio Ph.D.
• Bayik Watson, Defne, Ph.D.
• Bedogni, Barbara, Ph.D.
• Bilbao Cortes, Daniel, Ph.D., MBA
• Blomberg, Bonnie, Ph.D.
• Bredel, Markus, M.D., Ph.D.
• Briegel, Karoline, Ph.D.
• Burnstein, Kerry L., Ph.D.
• Chakrabarti, Rumela, Ph.D.
• Chen, Zheng, M.D., Ph.D.
• Chen, Zhibin, M.D., Ph.D.
• Cocco, Emiliano, Ph.D.
• Daunert, Sylvia, Ph.D.
• Dosch, Austin, M.D., Ph.D.
• El-Rifai, Wael, M.D., Ph.D.
• Fornoni, Alessia, M.D., M.D., Ph.D., FASN
• Frasca, Daniela, Ph.D.
• Isom, Daniel G., Ph.D.
• Kazanietz, Marcelo G., Ph.D.
• Kurmi, Kiran, Ph.D.
• Landgraf, Ralf, Ph.D.
• Meng, Zhipeng, Ph.D.
• Merchant, Nipun B., M.D.
• Nagathihalli, Nagaraj S., Ph.D.
• Rai, Priyamvada, Ph.D.
• Ramakrishnan, Sundaram, Ph.D.
• Roy, Sabita, Ph.D.
• Serafini, Paolo, Ph.D.
• Sharifi, Nima, M.D.
• Shembade, Noula D., Ph.D.
• Stoyanova, Radka, Ph.D.
• Van der Jeught, Kevin, Ph.D.
• Villarino, Alejandro, V., Ph.D.
• Welford, Scott, Ph.D.
• Xu, Xiangxi (Mike), Ph.D.
• Yang, Yu-Ping, Ph.D.
• Zaika, Alexander, Ph.D.
• Zhang, Fangliang, Ph.D.