Cancer Biology Training Program
Bring bench-top discoveries into clinical trials that improve the quality of care for patients.
Breakthroughs in cancer biology hold immense promise for revolutionizing cancer diagnosis and treatment. Yet, the gap between basic science and clinical practice still hampers progress.
The Cancer Biology Training Program brings together students and mentors from several departments to seamlessly blend fundamental cancer research with patient-centered care.
You'll receive "bench-to-bedside" training where you observe doctor-patient interactions and clinical activities, and use the information you learn in the clinic and classroom to perform research that may be translated into improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer on a daily basis.
You will also be trained to give effective presentations, write manuscripts and grant applications, and think critically and creatively — skills necessary for a successful career in cancer research.
The program is highly competitive and supports only six graduate students each year through an institutional T32 training grant funded by the National Cancer Institute. Students are typically supported by the grant for two years, but remain in the program until graduation. Up to two international students participate in the program with support from institutional funds.
Meet the Team
Faculty Mentors
Currently, 33 faculty members participate in the program, 16 of whom have their primary appointment at the Eppley Institute and 17 have their primary appointment in other departments at UNMC.
Our faculty mentors have a wide variety of expertise in areas essential for broad-based training in cancer biology:
- Cancer cell biology
- Drug development and preclinical evaluation
- Cancer diagnosis, detection and therapy
Specific areas of strength include cancer cell signaling, membrane trafficking and repair, genome instability, DNA damage and repair, cancer genetics and epigenetics, animal models of cancer, cancer biomarkers, drug development, novel therapeutic strategies, drug resistance, systems biology, bioinformatics, proteomics, metabolomics, stem cells and cancer initiation, tumor angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis, cancer immunology, and mechanisms of cell adhesion.
