Cancer Biology and Biotechnology

Program Leaders: Dr. Mary Ann Osley and Dr. Larry Sklar

Cancer is a complex disease that requires people from many backgrounds, working a problem from all angles, to understand how and why cancer develops. These studies in turn, can lead to more effective tools for diagnosis and treatment.

The Cancer Biology and Biotechnology Research Program was established at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center in 2000 by integrating a group of outstanding basic and translational laboratory scientists focused on cancer-relevant research. The Program brings together 24 program members from six departments in the UNM School of Medicine (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Physiology, Medicine, Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Neurology, and Pathology) the UNM College of Pharmacy, three departments on the UNM Main Campus (Biology, Chemical and Nuclear Engineering, and Physics and Astronomy), New Mexico State University (Chemistry) and Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The Program is led by co-directors Mary Ann Osley, Ph.D. and Larry Sklar, Ph.D., and has two major research themes:

1. Chromosome Dynamics and Macromolecular Interactions with the goals of: (1) discovering the fundamental mechanisms of tumorigenesis through studies of epigenetic, transcriptional, cell growth control, and DNA damage repair pathways in cancer cells and model organisms; and (2) exploiting studies of viral protein-nucleic acid interactions for translation into new diagnostic or therapeutic platforms.
2. Biotechnology and Target Screening with the overall goal of discovering and validating novel targets and small molecules from fundamental regulatory pathways for cancer diagnosis, screening, prevention and therapy. To accomplish these goals, Program Members are developing and using high-throughput small molecule screening, high performance computing, cheminformatics and modeling. They also take advantage of novel isotopes and imaging, as well as micro- and nanotechnology to discover, screen and model new cancer targets.

Led by Larry Sklar, Ph.D., Program Members direct one of only nine National High-Power National Molecular Discovery Centers with a six-year, $15.5 million grant. As part of the NIH Roadmap Molecular Libraries Initiative, the UNM Center for Molecular Discovery operates as a biological screening center effecting and monitoring the interactions of small molecules and proteins that can regulate biological processes.

Program Members currently hold more than $8.875 million in total annual direct funding, representing a 68% increase in funding since 2005. More than $7.702 million was peer-reviewed, and Program Members from New Mexico State University hold an additional $2.965 million in annual peer-reviewed funding.

Researchers in the Cancer Biology and Biotechnology Research Program