The UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center is an interdisciplinary initiative that combines basic science, clinical research, epidemiology/cancer control, and patient care throughout the University of California, San Francisco. The Center's mission is the discovery and evolution of new ideas and information about cancer, from basic research to clinical implementation.
UCSF's long tradition of excellence in cancer research includes, notably, Nobel Prize-winning work of J. Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus, who discovered cancer-causing oncogenes. Their work opened new doors for exploring genetic mistakes that cause cancer and formed the basis for some of the most important cancer research happening today.
Basic scientific research underpins all of our efforts to design and evaluate new tools to treat cancer patients everywhere. Hence, cancer research at UCSF encompasses studies on the regulation of the eukaryotic cell division cycle, exploration of the machinery and the control of programmed cell death (apoptosis), regulation of cellular lifespan and the acquisition of cellular immortality, the control of DNA repair, the role of the immune system in cancer initiation and progression, tumor angiogenesis, cell invasion and metastasis and the design and application of mouse models of human cancer. Information of the broad range of cancer research activities can be found at the
Cancer Center webpage.
Participating Faculty
Rosemary J. Akhurst, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Growth factors and genetic modifiers in vascular biology and cancer
Allan Balmain, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Mouse models for the study of human cancer susceptibility and cancer progression
Diane Barber, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Signal Transduction and Cytoskeleton Organization
Boris Bastian, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Genetics of Melanocytic Neoplasia
Gabriele Bergers, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling / Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Interactions between tumor cells and blood vessels to regulate neovascularization, tumor growth and invasion
Daniel Bikle, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Regulation of cellular differentiation and function by calciotropic hormones
Michael Bishop, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Molecular Genetics of Normal and Neoplastic Cells
Montgomery Bissell, MD
Primary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Liver Wound Repair
Elizabeth Blackburn, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Telomeres and Telomerase
Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Molecular basis of stem cell self-renewal, differentiation and contribution to cancer
Nancy Boudreau, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Role of Homeobox genes in tumor induced angiogenesis and wound healing
Ben Braun, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Ras signaling in cancer stem cells
V. Courtney Broaddus, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Apoptotic Synergy in Mesothelioma
Katja Brückner, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Drosophila hematopoiesis and epithelial plasticity- models for cancer development
Harold Chapman, MD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Integrin signaling in lung fibrosis and cancer
James Cleaver, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
DNA Repair Mechanisms and Human Disease
Joe Costello, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Integrated genomic and epigenomic mechanisms contributing to cancer
Shaun Coughlin, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Signaling mechanisms in vascular biology and disease
Lisa Coussens, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Immunology
Manipulating the Host Response to Cancer
Heike Daldrup-Link, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Cellular Imaging
Jayanta Debnath, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Autophagy in Cell Survival, Tissue Homeostasis and Cancer
Anthony DeFranco, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Regulation of B Lymphocyte and Macrophage Function by Cell Surface Receptors
Rik Derynck, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Transmembrane TGF-a and TGF-b Receptor Signaling in Cell Proliferation and Differentiation
Gerard Evan, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Molecular Basis of Carcinogenesis: Regulation of Cell Proliferation and Cell Death (Apoptosis)
Steven Finkbeiner, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Neurobiology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Molecular Mechanisms of Synaptic Plasticity and Neurodegeneration
Lawrence Fong, MD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Immunobiology of Dendritic Cells in Disease
James Frank, MD
Primary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Alveolar epithelial barrier regulation and repair in the lung
Don Ganem, MD
Primary Research Interest: Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Biology and Replication of Human Viral Pathogens
Andrei Goga, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology and Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Human Genetics
Oncogenes and Cell Cycle Control
Kathleen Giacomini, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Pharmacogenomics of Membrane Transporters
Matthias Hebrok, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Molecular mechanisms of pancreas development, function and disease
C. David James, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
CNS Tumor Molecular Biology and Therapeutic Testing
Nigel Killeen, D.Phil
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
The determination of T-cell fate
Scott Kogan, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Cooperating Events in Leukemogenesis and Their Reversal
Matthew Krummel, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Real-time Imaging of T cell Synapse, Motility and Multicellular Dynamics
Lewis Lanier, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Regulation of T cell and NK cell immune responses by activating and inhibitory receptors
Joachim Li, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Regulation of Eukaryotic DNA Replication
Limin Liu, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Immunology
Metabolism and Regulation of Nitric Oxide Bioactivity
Clifford Lowell, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Tyrosine Kinase Regulated Signal Transduction in Blood Cells
Averil Ma, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Ubiquitination, Cell Signaling and Autoimmunity
Marta Margeta, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Neurobiology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Synaptic function and neurologic disease
Frank McCormick, PhD, FRS
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Therapeutic Approaches to Cancer
Martin McMahon, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Oncogenes, Signal Transduction and Cancer
Mark M. Moasser, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Tyrosine kinase signaling in cancer
John Murnane, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Mechanisms of genomic instability in mammalian cells
Stephen Nishimura, MD
Primary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Mechanistic basis of integrin function homeostasis
Robert Nissenson, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Signal Transduction Mechanisms in Bone Cell Differentiation
Scott Oakes, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Immunology
The Biochemistry of Apoptosis (or Programmed Cell Death)
Steve Rosen, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Roles of biological sulfation in leukocyte trafficking and tumorigenesis
Jeremy Reiter, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology and Cell Signaling, Human Genetics, Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Signaling at the Primary Cilium, the Cell's Antenna
Jeroen Roose, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology and Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Immunology
Ras Signal Transduction in Lymphocytes and Cancer
Davide Ruggero, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Dynamics of translation control in gene expression, cancer, and disease
Bill Seaman, MD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
The Role of Lymphocyte Subtypes in Immunity
Neil Shah, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Targeted Therapy of Hematologic Malignancies
Kevin Shannon, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Molecular Genetics and Therapy of Myeloid Leukemia
Robin Shaw, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Regulation of Cardiac Ion Channels: Cytoskeleton and Membrane Targeting
Dean Sheppard, MD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Vascular & Cardiac Biology, Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
In vivo function of integrins and molecular basis of lung diseases
Jun Song, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling, Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Computational biology of genetic and epigenetic regulatory networks
Thea Tlsty, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Regulation of Cancer Initiation in Human Tissues
David Toczyski, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Activation of the DNA damage checkpoint
Rong Wang, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Secondary Research Interest:Developmental & Stem Cell Biology, Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Cell-cell signaling in angiogenesis and arterial venous hierarchy in embryos, ischemia, and tumors
Valerie Weaver, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
The tissue microenvironment and mechanical force in adult and stem cell fate
Orion Weiner, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Vascular & Cardiac Biology
Cell polarity during chemotaxis
Richard Weiner, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Neurobiology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Neuroendocrine Control of Reproduction and Signaling Pathways for the Antiangiogenic Factor 16K PRL
Art Weiss, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Immunology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Signal Transduction Events and Lymphocyte Activation
William Weiss, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Secondary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Mouse Models for Tumors of the Nervous System
Zena Werb, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Functions of the Extracellular Microenvironment in Development and Cancer
Joe Wiemels, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Human Genetics
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Etiology and genetics of childhood leukemia and brain cancer
Holger Willenbring, MD
Primary Research Interest: Developmental & Stem Cell Biology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Mechanisms of liver regeneration and cancer
Torsten Wittmann, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Cytoskeletal Dynamics and Cell Polarization
Keith Yamamoto, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
Signal Transduction and Transcriptional Regulation
Hal Yee, Jr, MD, PhD
Primary Research Interest: Tissue/Organ Biology & Endocrinology
Secondary Research Interest: Cancer Biology & Cell Signaling
The Biology of Tissue Pericytes/Myofibroblasts and their Role in Fibrotic Diseases
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