Molecular Oncology Program

Scientific Goals

• To elucidate the basic molecular processes that mediate cellular transformation to cancer. 
• To facilitate even more inter- and intra-Program collaborations to translate these discoveries into cancer treatments 

Research of the program membership examines the cellular response to genomic insults, the molecular structure of cancer relevant proteins and the mechanisms of gene expression and their disregulation during carcinogenesis, together with the discovery of novel cancer biomarkers that result from this disregulated gene expression.

Focus Groups

Maintenance of Genomic Integrity

Investigators work on genomic re-arrangements and retro-transposition; DNA replication, repair and the DNA damage cell cycle checkpoint; telomerase and DNA end-repair. 

Gene Expression and Biomarkers

Investigators work on specification of cell fates; nuclear acceptors of signaling and environmental pathways; fundamental mechanisms of transcriptional regulation; the interplay between transcription and RNA processing, and the regulation of protein synthesis and proteomic identification of cancer biomarkers that result from altered gene expression.

Cancer Structural Biology

Investigators delineate the molecular structure of RNA, DNA-binding proteins, signaling molecules, and oligopeptides using biophysical techniques, NMR and X-ray crystallography.

Program Members

The Molecular Oncology Program brings together 43 members (33 full and 10 associate members) representing sixteen departments, three UC Denver Schools (Medicine, Pharmacy, and the Graduate school) and four consortium institutions (UC Denver , CU-Boulder, Colorado State University, and Denver University).  In addition to our Nobel Laureate, National Academy of Sciences member and Howard Hughes Institute President (Dr. Cech), we have added two new Howard Hughes Institute Investigators (Drs. Luger and Ahn). View member list.

Publications

During 2006-2007, members of the Molecular Oncology Program published more than 80 full-length, peer-reviewed cancer-related papers, with nine of these appearing in the high-visibility journals Nature, Science, Cell, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Molecular Cell, and Nature Structural and Molecular Biology.  Of the 84 cancer-related publications, 16 (19%) were inter-programmatic or inter- and intra-programmatic publications; 3 (4%) were intra-programmatic or inter- and intra-programmatic publications. View publications (pdf)