Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Research Program

The Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Research Program at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center focuses on discovering and characterizing important cancer-specific metabolic and stress pathways, identifying novel therapeutic agents, and translating mechanism-based discoveries into effective cancer therapies. Cancer-specific metabolic networks and stress pathways provide targets for diagnostic or prognostic biomarker discovery and for therapeutic intervention.

These goals are realized through a multi-level approach that includes monthly program meetings, program-specific seminars, transdisciplinary research teams, intramural funding and training opportunities, investments in existing and new shared resources, and targeted recruitment of faculty.

The Developmental Cancer Therapeutics Research Program membership consists of 53 basic and clinical scientists drawn from nine departments distributed across MUSC’s Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Thematically, it is organized around these aims:

Biomarker Discovery & Cancer Metabolomics: Identify biomarker and lipid-specific metabolic vulnerabilities.
Cancer Cell Signaling: Interrogate novel oncogenic signaling targets in human tumors.
Drug Development & Clinical Trials: Develop new small molecules and biologics for investigator-initiated clinical trials.