The Cancer Biology focus group encompasses a wide spectrum of research interests, from translational goals for improving treatment of human tumors, to basic research describing the molecular interactions of pathways that are key to cell regulation. Group members who are developing the next generation techniques for analyzing complex tumor microenvironments include Drs. Skala (metabolic live imaging), Beebe (development of nanodevices), Dinh (single cell RNA Sequence), Masters and Kimple (establishing complex cell interactions in vitro). Members studying epigenetics and cancer include Drs. Lewis, Pan and Xu. Members studying the genetics associated with cancer susceptibility, and the genetics of specific tumor types, include Drs. Brand, Bresnick, Churpek, Lang, Hess, Lim, and Zhang. Members at the translational interface of cancer immunology include Drs. Richards, Sondel, Morris, McNeel, Kimple and Capitini. Tools for early diagnostic development for cancer detection are being developed by Dr. Murtaza and Lang, and radiology tools for breast cancer evaluation by Dr. Fowler. Basic aspects of DNA replication and repair are covered by Drs. Tibbets, Mehta and Matson. Key aspects of cancer cell division and chromosomal instability are led by Drs. Weaver, Burkard, Suzuki and Cosper. Novel pathways driving cancer cell growth include the metabolic control exerted by skin (Alexander), nuclear lipid kinases (Dr. Cryns and Anderson), obesity (Arendt) and neuronal innervation (Birbrair).
Focus Group Chair Caroline Alexander
Oncology Department
Mammary tumor cell biology
alexander@oncology.wisc.edu
Focus Group Members
Paul Ahlquist
Credentials: Institute for Molecular Virology, Oncology, Plant Pathology Department
Position title: Virus Replication and Host Interactions
Email:
ahlquist
Nihal Ahmad
Credentials: Dermatology Department
Position title: Mechanism of cancer development & novel approaches for cancer management
Email:
nahmad
Richard Anderson
Credentials: Medical School Dean's Office
Position title: Molecular and cellular signaling and cancer
Email:
raanders
Lisa Arendt
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Obesity, breast cancer, mouse models
Email:
lmarendt
Anjon Audhya
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Mechanisms of membrane trafficking; live cell imaging techniques
Email:
audhya
David Beebe
Credentials: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department
Position title: Investigating cellular scale phenomena from physical and biological sciences perspectives
Email:
djbeebe
Alexander Birbrair
Credentials: Dermatology
Position title: Mechanisms regulating cancer progression
Email:
birbrair
Marjorie Brand
Credentials: Cell and Regenerative Biology
Position title: Leukemia; Blood differentiation; Gene regulation; Genomics; Proteomics
Email:
mbrand3
Emery Bresnick
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Normal and malignant hematopoiesis; epigenetics; molecular medicine
Email:
ehbresni
Christian Capitini
Credentials: Pediatrics Department
Position title: Adoptive cell therapies (NK cell and CAR T cell infusions), Bone marrow transplant, GVHD
Jason Cantor
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Influence of environmental factors on human cell metabolism
Email:
jcantor
Jane Churpek
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Genetics of blood disorder and cancer predisposition
Email:
jchurpek
Pippa Cosper
Credentials: Human Oncology
Position title: Chromosomal instability, radiation sensitivity, DNA tumor viruses
Email:
cosper
Vincent Cryns
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Mechanisms of cell death in disease
Email:
vlcryns
Huy Dinh
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Computational biology, Tumor microenvironment heterogeneity
Email:
huy.dinh
Amy Fowler
Credentials: Radiology Department
Position title: Molecular imaging of steroid receptors in breast cancer
Email:
afowler
Ting Fu
Credentials: Pharmacy Department
Position title: Nuclear receptor, Bile acids, Gut physiology, Colon cancer
Email:
ting.fu
Xin Gao
Credentials: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Department
Position title: Hematopoietic stem cells; bone marrow microenvironment; blood diseases
Email:
xgao37
Anne Griep
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Molecular regulation of mammalian eye development
Email:
aegriep
Gaelen Hess
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry
Position title: High-Throughput Mammalian Functional Genomics
Email:
ghess3
Troy Hornberger
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Mechanotransduction and the regulation of skeletal muscle mass
Email:
troy.hornberger
Jiaoyang Jiang
Credentials: Pharmaceutical Sciences
Position title: Protein glycosylation in biology and disease
Email:
jiaoyang.jiang
Eric Johannsen
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Transcription, Growth Transformation, Notch Signaling
Email:
ejohannsen
Rob Kalejta
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Epigenetics of HCMV transcription
Email:
rfkalejta
James Keck
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Structural Mechanisms of Genome Maintenance
Email:
jlkeck
Randall Kimple
Credentials: Human Oncology Department
Position title: Cell therapy, radiation biology, cancer therapeutics
Email:
rkimple
Pamela Kreeger
Credentials: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department
Position title: Tissue engineering, systems biology, tumor microenvironment
Email:
kreeger
Paul Lambert
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Small DNA tumor viruses
Email:
plambert
Dudley Lamming
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Molecular Physiology of Aging
Email:
lamming
Jessica Lang
Credentials: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Position title: Translational ovarian cancer epigenetics
Email:
jessica.lang
Peter Lewis
Credentials: Biomolecular Chemistry Department
Position title: Chromatin regulation in development and disease
Email:
peter.lewis
Ci Ji Lim
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Human telomere maintenance and genome maintenance
Email:
ciji.lim
Kinjal Majumder
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Mechanisms of virus localization to cellular DNA breaks
Email:
kmajumder
Kristyn Masters
Credentials: Biomedical Engineering Department
Position title: In vitro disease modeling
Email:
kmasters
Daniel Matson
Credentials: Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Position title: Transcription Factors and Replication Origins
Email:
drmatson
Douglas McNeel
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Development of immunological treatments, and vaccines in particular, that can eradicate prostate cancer
Email:
dm3
Kavi Mehta
Credentials: Comparative Biosciences Department
Position title: Replication-coupled DNA repair
Email:
kmehta
Zachary Morris
Credentials: Human Oncology Department
Position title: Immune effects of radiotherapies
Email:
zmorris
Muhammed Murtaza
Credentials: Surgery
Position title: Cancer genomics and precision medicine
Email:
murtaza
Xuan Pan
Credentials: Medical Sciences Department
Position title: Epigenetic regulation, hematopoiesis, mouse models
Email:
xpan24
Rebecca (Becky) Richards
Credentials: Pediatrics
Position title: Engineering next-generation CAR-T cells for blood cancers
Email:
rmrichards3
Lixin Rui
Credentials: Medicine Department
Position title: Cell signaling in B cell lymphoma
Email:
lrui
John-Demian (JD) Sauer
Credentials: Medical Microbiology & Immunology Department
Position title: Host-Microbe Interactions
Email:
sauer3
Marina Sharifi
Credentials: Department of Medicine
Position title: Targeted therapy resistance in advanced cancer
Email:
msharifi
Nathan Sherer
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Cell biology of HIV replication
Email:
nsherer
Melissa Skala
Credentials: Biomedical Engineering Department
Position title: Metabolism, cancer, microscopy
Email:
mcskala
Paul Sondel
Credentials: Pediatrics Department
Position title: Clinical immunotherapy of cancer and tumor immunology
Email:
pmsondel
Andrew South
Credentials: Dermatology Department
Position title: Genetic Disease and Cancer Biology
Email:
asouth
Megan Spurgeon
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Biology of DNA tumor viruses
Email:
megan.spurgeon
Aussie Suzuki
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Cell Division, Mitosis, Kinetochore, Tension, Chromosomal Instability
Email:
aussie.suzuki
Randal Tibbetts
Credentials: Human Oncology Department
Position title: DNA repair; gene expression; neurodegeneration; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Email:
rstibbetts
Beth Weaver
Credentials: Cell & Regenerative Biology Department
Position title: Mitosis, chromosome segregation, aneuploidy and cancer
Email:
baweaver
Amy Weeks
Credentials: Biochemistry Department
Position title: Spatiotemporal dynamics of cell signaling using chemical biology and proteomics tools
Email:
amweeks
Deric Wheeler
Credentials: Human Oncology Department
Position title: Mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies
Email:
dlwheeler
Yongna Xing
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Cell signaling related to caner, structural biology, biochemistry, proteomics
Email:
xing
Wei Xu
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Epigenetic regulation of breast cancer
Email:
wxu
Jing Zhang
Credentials: Oncology Department
Position title: Hematopoietic stem cell, leukemic stem cell, cytokine signaling
Email:
zhang