Hepatocelluar Cancer SPORE
In May 2011, we successfully submitted The UT MD Anderson Hepatocellular Cancer SPORE. Grant application:
Project Summary
The goal of the M. D. Anderson SPORE in Hepatocellular Cancer (HCC) is to facilitate innovative translational research in the prevention, detection, and treatment of HCC, and to reduce the incidence and mortality from HCC, the third most common cancer worldwide, rising at an alarming rate in the United States. This will be accomplished through increasing the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the unique biology of HCC, in two of the four projects utilizing a functional genetics approach, focusing on the TGF- β signaling pathway that has emerged as a crucial suppressor pathway in stem-like tumor initiating cells (STICs); the development of molecular signatures of risk, progression, and therapeutic response; and through the translation of these advances into experimental therapeutic strategies for prevention and control of this poor prognosis disease. The program will provide a framework as well as crucial resources to allow us to further advance along state-of-the-art translational work and provide an unprecedented opportunity to effectively alter the course of this lethal and rising cancer.