Cancer Biology Program
This program represents a long-standing commitment to cancer mechanisms-focused research.
The vision of the program is to understand the fundamental mechanisms that underlie cancer initiation and progression and to interface with other programs of the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center – including the Targets, Modulators and Delivery Program, and the Cancer Prevention & Control Program – that are positioned to translate these findings into new biomarkers and therapeutic targets, thereby positively impacting diagnosis, prevention, and treatment across cancers prevalent in our catchment area.
Co-Leaders
Hamid Band, MD, PhD
Elizabeth Bruce Professor of Cancer Research, UNMC Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
Director of the Center for Breast Cancer Research
Research focus: Molecular Control of Tyrosine Kinase Signaling: Cell Biology and translation
Jixin Dong, PhD
Professor, UNMC Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
Research focus: Cell proliferation; prostate and pancreatic cancer
Themes and Goals
The Cancer Biology Program is organized into three themes and goals:
- Genome instability and cancer
- Discover alterations of molecular mechanisms that maintain intact genomes.
- Signaling mechanisms in cancer
- Discover alterations in intracellular signaling and tumor cell-microenvironment interactions.
- Cellular basis of cancer
- Using in vitro and animal models, validate cancer mechanisms, biomarkers and targets.
Program Members
Hamid Band, MD, PhD
Elizabeth Bruce Professor of Cancer Research, UNMC Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
Director of the Center for Breast Cancer Research
Research focus: Molecular Control of Tyrosine Kinase Signaling: Cell Biology and translation
Vimla Band, PhD
Ardith and Anna Von Housen Professor and Chairwoman
Chair, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy
Professor, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy
Donald Becker, PhD
Charles Bessey Professor of Biological Chemistry
Chair, UNL Department of Biochemistry
Jennifer Black, PhD
Professor, UNMC Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
Strategic Advisor to the Director, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
Research focus: Protein kinase C and PP2A signaling in colon, pancreas and endometrial cancer; targeting translational control in tumors
Gloria Borgstahl, PhD
Professor, UNMC Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases
Co-Director, Eppley Structural Biology Facility
Research Focus: Drug discovery in cancer and structural biology of DNA repair complexes
Alfred M. Bothwell, PhD
Professor, UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
Cancer Biology Member Directory
Find the complete list of Cancer Biology program members in the Member Directory, and learn about their research focus, tools, and techniques that support team science.