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The Virginia Harris Cockrell Cancer Research Center at Science Park

Science Park is a basic research campus of MD Anderson located in Central Texas near Austin. Home to the Department of Molecular Carcinogenesis, MD Anderson's largest basic science department, the campus offers a unique setting for research, education and conferences.

Our Research

Our research aims to define the mechanisms that control normal cell proliferation, differentiation, survival and genome maintenance to identify the processes that drive cancer. Research in the department is multidisciplinary and falls under three areas:

Research Highlight

Prostate cancer cells that express low levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) give rise to cancer stem cells that are both hard to kill with existing drugs and highly capable of generating cancer cells on a large scale. Studies in the Tang lab have recently shed light on these resilient cells, revealing that low-PSA prostate cancer cells divide slowly and express anti-stress genes that help them resist chemotherapy.

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Learn More About the Tang Laboratory

 

Our Campus

 

Nestled within the Lost Pines forest of Central Texas near Smithville, the Science Park campus is within driving distance from Austin, "The Live Music Capital of the World."

 

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News

Events


Hogg Seminar Series: Peter Strick, Ph.D., "New and Old M1: A Tale of Two Primary Motor Areas"
October 9, 2013 - 11:00 a.m.

Lost Pines Conference: Stem Cells, Epigenetics and Cancer
November 1-3, 2013
Register Now!

Cure on the Colorado Fundraiser
March 22, 2014

More Events

Faculty Spotlight: Sharon Dent, Ph.D.

Dr. Sharon Dent has a long-standing interest in understanding how chromatin organization regulates nuclear processes. Her research is directed at defining the functions of histone-modifying enzymes, both in normal biological processes and in disease states, using genetic approaches in yeast, mice and human cells. Dr. Dent was named the director of Science Park and J. Ralph Meadows Chair of the Department of Molecular Carcinogenesis in September 2010.

Learn More About the Dent Laboratory