Honami Naora, Ph.D.
Take a look inside one of our research labs
Molecular Oncology
Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
Department Chair
The Department of Molecular Oncology (formerly the Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology) advances basic, translational and clinical efforts to make UT 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 UT 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 UT MD Anderson's Functional Genomics Core with the support of the Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG).
The department's tenured or tenure-track faculty members all have established vibrant research portfolios and productive collaborations with faculty, including clinical colleagues at UT MD Anderson. Department 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
Get to know Honami Naora, Ph.D., professor of Molecular Oncology, and her ovarian cancer research team. Every day, their work aims to develop more effective strategies that can detect, treat and prevent ovarian cancer.
New Faces
Note: Graduate students are from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Rasheda Davis
Grant Program Coordinator
Daniel DeMaster
Research Assistant I
Yu Lab
Sara Estrada
Research Assistant I
Beretta Lab
Luyu Jia
Postdoctoral Fellow
Yu Lab
Umesh Karandikar
Grant Program Manager
Sanjana Kavula
College Student
Lin Lab
Shahid Khursheed
Research Scientist
Lo Lab
Matthew Musat
Research Assistant I
Beretta Lab
Kaira Jai Sheth
College Student
Ying Lab
Witty Tyagi
Postdoctoral Fellow
Lee Lab
Solchan Won
Postdoctoral Fellow
Naora Lab
Chia-Mei Young
Research Assistant I
Lo Lab
Education & Training
Our programs
In addition to The University of Texas 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 UT 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.