Cancer Cell Biology

Cancer Biology focuses on fundamental mechanisms in cancer development and progression with the long-term aim of promoting the translation of novel therapies.

Cancer Biology research covers a broad spectrum of inquiry into the mechanisms of cancer progression, including genomic and mRNA regulation, signal transduction, intracellular trafficking, cell polarity, metastasis and basic mechanisms of growth, invasion and survival. Investigators begin by utilizing a variety of tools to ask basic science questions about the initiation and progression of cancer (including model organisms and high-throughput techniques) and continue on through the pre-clinical application of these discoveries using mouse-modeling.

Parker B. Antin, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Vice President for Research, Agriculture - Life and Veterinary Sciences, Cooperative Extension
Associate Dean for Research, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
(520) 661-6382

Lineage diversification and morphogenesis during embryogenesis.
Anne Cress, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Vice Dean, Operations and Strategy and Chief of Staff
Senior Associate Dean
Professor, Applied Biosciences GIDP
Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
Professor, Radiation Oncology
(520) 626-7553

Studying the molecular mechanisms of human cancer progression and metastasis and the regulation of cell surface adhesion molecules, called integrins.
Nathan A. Ellis, PhD
Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Chair, Genetics GIDP
Co-Program Leader, Cancer Biology Research Program
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
(520) 626-7979

Analyzing genomic instability in cancer susceptibility.
Carol C. Gregorio, PhD
Professor and Department Head, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Interim Director, Sarver Heart Center
Director, Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program
Assistant Vice Provost, Global Health Sciences
Director, UArizona Health Sciences Global and Online
Czarina M. and Humberto S. Lopez Endowed Chair for Excellence in Cardiovascular Research
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
(520) 626-8113

Identifying the components and molecular mechanisms regulating cytoskeletal architecture in cardiac and skeletal muscle during normal development and in disease.
Natalia Ignatenko, PhD
Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine (Research Scholar Track) (Career Track)

Exploring the role and regulation of serine protease Kallikrein 6 in metastatic colon cancer.
Keith A. Maggert, PhD
Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Vice-Chair, Genetics GIDP
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Associate Professor, Genetics GIDP
Associate Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
(520) 626-9545

Exploring the connection between epigenetic instability and chromosome damage.
Cynthia Miranti, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Chair, Cancer Biology GIDP
Co-Program Leader, Cancer Biology Research Program
Professor, BIO5 Institute
(520) 626-2269

Defining the mechanisms by which cell adhesion and the tumor microenvironment promote prostate cancer progression and metastasis.
Ghassan (Gus) Mouneimne, PhD
Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
(520) 626-4616

Understanding How Cytoskeletal Architecture Regulates Cancer Metastasis
Ritu Pandey, MSc, PhD
Assistant Research Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Director, Translational Clinical Bioinformatics
Coordinator, Biomedical Informatics
(520) 626-0391

Investigating the underlying molecular profiles in cancer patient data using integrated computational analysis of multi-omics data in the context of disease outcome, treatment and progression.
Gregory C. Rogers, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Head, Faculty Development
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Professor, Genetics GIDP
Professor, Molecular and Cellular Biology
(520) 626-3925

Understanding cellular mechanisms that control genomic integrity.
Joann Sweasy, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Director, Cancer Center
Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Professor, Genetics GIDP
Professor, Radiation Oncology
(520) 626-5549

Discovering mechanistic insights into the roles of aberrant DNA repair in the development of cancer, autoimmunity, and other diseases.
Curtis Thorne, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Co-Director, Graduate Program in Molecular Medicine
Assistant Professor, BIO5 Institute
(520) 626-0395

Combining chemical biology and computer vision approaches to discover cellular communication mechanisms controlling cell fate, self-organization and disease progression of regenerative tissues
Noel Warfel, PhD
Associate Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Co-Director, Experimental Mouse Shared Resource
(520) 626-7756

Understanding the complex biological mechanisms that allow cancer cells to thrive in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment and developing new therapeutic strategies to oppose hypoxia-mediated therapeutic resistance.
Jean Wilson, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Director, Willed Body Program
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
Professor, Neuroscience GIDP
(520) 626-2557

The Wilson laboratory works on the establishment and maintenance of the integrity of the intestine through the regulation of membrane trafficking to the apical plasma membrane domain.
Yana Zavros, PhD
Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Head, Research
Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP
(520) 626-4342

Investigation of in vivo and in vitro Organoid Models of Gastrointestinal Diseases