The overall goals of Cancer Biology and Immune Cell Function research at Michigan State University is to examine the molecular mechanism of cancer with a focus on cancer cell signaling, cell growth, proliferation, and metabolism both in cancer cells and immune cells. A deeper understanding of the interaction between the host immune system and malignant tumors will allow for new and innovative ways to treat cancer. The program brings together investigators with experience in cancer biology, immunology, physiology, cell signaling, systems biology, developmental biology, and drug discovery.
Research Topics
- Genetic mouse models and computational analysis of breast cancer (Andrechek)
- Transcriptional regulators in a developmental setting for understanding cancer (Arnosti)
- Cellular mechanisms of neuroblastoma, multiple myeloma, and kidney cancer (A. Bachmann)
- Immune systems interactions with cancer cells (M. Bachmann)
- Applied research in immunopharmacology and immunotoxicology (M. Bernard)
- Metabolic engineering and systems biology approaches to identify targets (Chan)
- MiRNAs in distant metastatic cancer and CAR T-cell therapy for solid tumors (Chen)
- Mechanisms by which estrogen and antiestrogens regulate the cell cycle in breast cancer (Conrad)
- Applying new imaging tools to examine the relationships between cancer and the immune system (Contag)
- Invariant natural killer T cell biology and anti-tumor immune responses (Das)
- Regulatory gene and protein networks of immune cell fate and apoptosis (Doseff)
- Understanding and targeting the signaling pathways that govern cancer progression (Gallo)
- Experimental oncology and extracellular vesicle biology (Harada)
- Epigenetic mechanisms in cancer stem cells and tumorigenesis (He)
- Targeting cell surface carbohydrate structures for novel immunotherapies (Huang)
- Controlling extracellular vesicle-mediated cancer-host crosstalk (Kanada)
- Inflammation in cancer and development of treatments for lung, pancreatic and breast cancer (Liby)
- Cancer metabolism using mass spectrometry, cell biology, and genetic models of cancer (S. Lunt)
- Cell signaling networks that encompass cancer pathways, autophagy, and metabolism (MacKeigan)
- Controlling the fate of stem cells using nano-patterned substrates (Mahmoudi)
- Impact of autophagy inhibition and therapeutic strategies in cancer (Martin)
- DNA dependent protein kinases in DNA repair (Meek)
- G protein-coupled receptor signaling and intracellular modulators (Neubig)
- HPV-associated cancers and the virus-host interaction (Pyeon)
- Understanding cancer biology using micro-systems enabled ultra-thin in-vivo imaging tools (Qui)
- Telomerase-mediated telomere maintenance and quantitative understanding in cancer cells (Schmidt)
- Micro-RNA-based applications for breast and pancreatic cancer (Sempere)
- Molecular mechanisms of liver and breast cancer development (Xiao)
- DNA recombination and DNA repair in immune cells and oncogenic translocations (Yu)