Molecular & Cellular Oncology
Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
Department Chair ad interim
The Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology (MCO) advances basic, translational and clinical efforts to make MD Anderson the number one cancer research center.
The department’s oncology-driven research focuses on fundamental mechanistic discoveries and their translation to humans. As a basic science department at MD Anderson, the department strives to enhance basic research excellence by establishing a robust research group focused on the molecular and cellular aspects of cancer research, particularly in signaling pathways and crosstalk between tumor and tumor microenvironment in tumor initiation, progression and metastasis, and resistance to various therapies. The department also hosts MD Anderson's Functional Genomics Core with the support of the Cancer Center Supporting Grant (CCSG). In addition, departmental faculty are core members of the Cancer Biology and Metastasis Program of CCSG, rated “exceptional” in the last competing renewal.
The department has 11 tenured or tenure-track faculty members, and all have established vibrant research portfolios and productive collaborations with faculty, including clinical colleagues at MD Anderson. MCO faculty are well funded with active R01, R35, Department of Defense (DOD), SPORE, CPRIT MIRA and CPRIT IIRA grants and funding from various other agencies.
All faculty members commit to educating and providing high-quality training to cultivate next-generation scientists and actively participate in various educational programs including The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. programs in Cancer Biology, Genetics & Epigenetics, Immunology and Biochemistry & Cell Biology. In addition, faculty serve as mentors in training programs supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) or the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).
Pictured in header: in animal model brain, astrocytes (GFAP: green) are infected with astrocyte-specific Cre adenovirus (Cre: red) (Nuclear staining: blue)
Our Core Strengths
Multi-faceted, hypothesis-driven cancer research that:
- Transcends disease-site and treatment-specific departments/programs for breakthrough results
- Spans from molecules to cancer patients to advance:
- fundamental molecular-based knowledge
- cancer detection
- cancer prevention
- prediction and precision molecular therapies
- Is driven by intra-departmental collaborations
Research focus
Disease focuses: Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and autoimmune and congenital diseases
Research interests: Metastasis (including brain), cancer prevention, DNA-repaired pathways, tumor and immune microenvironment, microbiome, cancer metabolism, targeted therapy (structure based, lncRNA), epigenetics and genetics, inflammatory pathways and apoptosis, immunotherapy
Spotlight
Honami Naora, Ph.D., and her team published a paper in the journal Cancer Cell.
Hironari Akasaka won a 2024 Outside-the-Box grant in honor of Sharon White from the HERA Ovarian Cancer Foundation.
Honami Naora, Ph.D., professor, was selected as an honoree of the Education & Mentorship category of the 2024 MD Anderson’s Celebration of Faculty Excellence. The celebration was held on August 8, 2024, at III by Wolfgang Puck.
Image: Hoanmi Naora, Ph.D. (left) and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D. (right), Chair ad interim
Dr. Suet-Ying Kwan (mentor: Dr. Laura Beretta) is selected to receive an award of $1,000 by the scientific committee of 2024 Gut Microbiota For Health Summit. Title is “Protection against fibrosis by a bacterial consortium in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis and the role of amino acid metabolism.”
Dr. Zhou Joe Jiang (mentor: Dr. Chunru Lin) is an awardee of the 2024 AACR-Scholar-in-Training Award supported by a grant from Daiichi Sankyo in the amount of $1,450, based on the abstract “Revitalizing CAR-T cells for TNBC: Targeting phosphorylation of TCF7 to overcome T cell exhaustion.” Dr. Jiang was invited to attend a special reception for the award on April 8, 2024.
Dr. Liuqing Yang is one of five finalists for the 2023 Julie and Ben Rogers Award for Excellence in the area of Research.
Dr. Laura Beretta is a recipient of the Ashbel Smith Professorship.
Dr. Dihua Yu's paper titled "Allergic mediator histamine confers immunotherapy resistance in cancer patients via histamine receptor 1 on macrophage" was selected to enter STAT Madness, an online bracket competition to recognize the top discoveries in biomedicine, and advanced to the quarterfinal.
Dr. Yajuan Li has been selected as an MD Anderson 2021 STAT Wunderkind. As a postdoctoral fellow, Li zeroed in on determining the functions of long noncoding RNAs. One of them, she discovered, could be particularly useful for treating an inherited genetic disease called phenylketonuria, or PKU.
Five publications were selected for the Wall of Science:
- Dr. Dihua Yu, Cancer Cell
- Dr. Min Sup Song, Cell Metabolism
- Drs. John Tainer and Chi-Lin Tsai, Molecular Cell
- Drs. John Tainer and Zamal Ahmed, Sciences Advances
- Drs. Chunru Lin and Liuqing Yang, Science
Dr. Chunru Lin is one of six recipients of the FY21 Faculty Scholar Award.
Mei-Kuang Chen, Ph.D., (Mentor: Dr. Dihua Yu) selected for 2022 AACR-Doreen J. Putrah Cancer Research Foundation Scholar-in-Training Award.
Zhou Jiang, Ph.D., (mentor: Dr. Dihua Yu) is one of the recipients of the 2022 Harold C. and Mary L. Dailey Endowment Fellowship ($2,000).
Dr. Yongkun Wei, assistant professor in Dr. Haoqiang Ying's group, is an awardee of 2022-2023 Career Enhancement Program (CEP) of GI Cancer SPORE (06/01/2022-05/31/2023, $50,000).
Two trainees obtained an endowed fellowship in FY21 cycle.
- Arseniy Yuzhalin, Ph.D., Odyssey Postdoc Fellow (mentor: Dr. Dihua Yu)—2021 Harold C. and Mary L. Dailey Endowment Fellowship ($2,000)
- Chunxiao Liu, Ph.D., first author in J Hepatology published in April 2021 (mentor: Dr. Dihua Yu)—2021 Harold C. and Mary L. Dailey Endowment Fellowship ($2,000)
Dr. Arseniy Yuzhalin (Odyssey Postdoc Fellow, mentor: Dr. Dihua Yu), PI: FY2021 DoD CDMRP BCRP Breakthrough Award BC210402 -Funding Level 1 “Targeting the Glia-Induced CDK5 Expression That Enforces Antigenic Escape of Brain Metastasis”, impact score 1.8, was recommended for funding, $729,000 total cost for 36 months.
Dr. Suet Ying Kwan, an instructor in Dr. Beretta’s group, obtained HCC SPORE CEP Award (09/01/2021-08/31/2021, $50,000).
In an interview with Oncology Learning Network, Yuan Zhang, Ph.D., and Yi Xiao, Ph.D., discussed using low-dose PI3K inhibitors to boost immune surveillance and facilitate early intervention in patients with breast cancer. Dr. Zhang is a postdoctoral fellow and mentee to Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D., and Dr. Xiao is an instructor in Dr. Yu’s lab.
New Faces
Note: Graduate students are from the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Sherron E Carouthers
Senior Administrative Assistant
Maria Centomo
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mentor: Min Sup Song, Ph.D.
Qingping Xiong
Postdoctoral Fellow
Mentor: Liuqing Yang, Ph.D.
Kevin Joseph
Program Coordinator
Deborah Henson
Senior Administrative Assistant
Revée Smith Hughes
Grant Program Manager
Lyhuong L Le
Financial Analyst
Dr. Qing Liu
Research Investigator
Mentor: Dr. Lo
Yuan-Hung Lo, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Raquel Rincon
Accounting Specialist
Education & Training
Our programs
In addition to MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences programs listed below, departmental faculty serve as a mentors in NIH T32 and CPRIT training programs. Faculty also host high school and undergraduate students through the MD Anderson Summer Research Programs.
Cancer Biology Program
The Cancer Biology Program offers a graduate program of study and research leading to a Ph.D. degree. The program provides training in all aspects of cancer biology, including tumor/host interactions, metastasis and invasion, tumor cell biology and biochemistry, tumor heterogeneity, cell surfaces, cancer genetics, retroviruses, gene regulation and development.
In addition to the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary training approaches taught through formal courses, laboratory research experience and exposure to clinical problems, the program offers a wide range of educational activities and services to students, including student seminar series, social events to get to know faculty members and other students, new student orientation (which includes setting up mentoring resources) and participation in scientific conferences at the local and national level.
Genetics and Epigenetics Program
The Genetics and Epigenetics (G&E) Program is a research-oriented Ph.D. and M.S. program. Research in G&E labs is broadly focused on the fundamental genetic, epigenetic and genomic mechanisms that control cell growth and differentiation and that cause cancer and other human diseases.
Immunology Graduate Program
The Immunology Graduate Program is designed to provide high-quality, comprehensive education and research training in the field of immunology, allowing graduates to successfully pursue careers as independent investigators in academia or industry.
Biochemistry and Cell Biology Program
The Molecular and Translational Biology (formerly called Biochemistry and Cell Biology) Graduate Program is a rigorous, interdisciplinary program that focuses on understanding fundamental biological, biochemical and molecular underpinnings of normal cellular and organ function and how these mechanisms affect normal and abnormal (disease) biological function.