The Cancer Biology Program, part of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT-Houston) is dedicated to providing students and postdoctoral fellows with the highest quality of training in diverse areas of cancer biology research.

Given the unique environment of the Texas Medical Center, the philosophy of the Cancer Biology Program is to supplement traditional graduate school training with both depth and breadth of knowledge in cancer biology. Program faculty are composed of University of Texas faculty members from various member institutions. The faculty’s interests are wide-ranging and encompass basic mechanistic studies in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, radiation physics, immunology and other cancer-related fields. Faculty also participate in translational research focused on problems of immediate clinical applicability. We have the world's leading experts in cancer metastasis research and cancer cell signaling.

Students will follow the standard format of maintaining a single mentor who will guide an independent research project. However, our students frequently use the resources and expertise of several laboratories in different departments during the development of their cancer-related dissertation projects. This training provides a rich experience that increases the expertise and competitiveness of our graduates. The program currently includes 68 faculty across 15 departments representing various University of Texas components or affiliates. These include M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; the Medical School, Dental Branch and GSBS at UT-Houston; Texas A & M University; and the National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) in Clear Lake. Many of the faculty are noted specialists in their areas of study and have trained students who have achieved success in academic and industrial settings. Program faculty have been honored with distinguished education awards, recognizing their achievements in all aspects of graduate and post-graduate training.

Currently, we have 55 graduate students listed in the program. Our students have been among the most outstanding and productive of the GSBS. They also have been the recipients of many GSBS awards, as well as nationally competitive awards and fellowships. Like the faculty, the students bring wide-ranging perspectives and goals to their research. The program excels in accommodating these interests while fostering interactions among all of our students. The Cancer Biology Program has been recipient of a National Institutes of Health training grant that supports our most outstanding students.

This web site describes the current research of the program faculty. It also lists recent graduates from the program, indicating their dissertation titles and faculty mentors. The program faculty are eager to train motivated students, and will gladly provide additional information with respect to their research programs and training opportunities in their laboratories.

This is an exciting new era in cancer research. A systematic training in cancer biology should allow our students to meet the challenge of Making Cancer History.

Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.