New cancer treatments and therapies start at the lab bench. Researchers in our department conduct the basic laboratory science that the KU Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in the region, and other institutions can use to develop new drugs and therapies.

Our scientists research a range of topics related to the treatment and prevention of cancer. Their work includes identifying the genes that inhibit metastasis; looking at ways to destroy a damaged protein associated with nearly half of all human cancers; unearthing the biology explaining why some breast cancers become resistant to endocrine treatments; determining the effects of obesity on the development of gastrointestinal and other cancers; and targeting cancer stem cells for cancer therapy. 

Our researchers are also investigating the repurposing of FDA-approved drugs for cancer treatment, and they've developed a new way to test potential cancer drugs using a first-of-its-kind “tumor in a dish” method.