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Cancer Biology

The Cancer Biology Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) is dedicated to providing students with the highest quality of training in diverse areas of cancer biology research.

The Cancer Biology Program at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS) is dedicated to providing students with the highest quality of training in diverse areas of cancer biology research.

Given the unique environment of the Texas Medical Center, the philosophy of the Cancer Biology Program is to supplement traditional graduate school training with both depth and breadth of knowledge in cancer biology. 

Students will follow the standard format of choosing a single mentor who will guide an independent research project. However, our students frequently use the resources and expertise of several laboratories in different departments during the development of their cancer-related dissertation projects. This training provides a rich experience that increases the expertise and competitiveness of our graduates. 

Currently, we have about 70 students and 120 faculty affiliated with the program. Our students have been among the most outstanding and productive of the GSBS. They also have been the recipients of many GSBS awards, as well as nationally competitive awards and fellowships. Like the faculty, the students bring wide-ranging perspectives and goals to their research. The program excels in accommodating these interests while fostering interactions among all of our students.

The program faculty are eager to train motivated students, and will gladly provide additional information with respect to their research programs and training opportunities in their laboratories.

This is an exciting new era in cancer research. A systematic training in cancer biology should allow our students to meet the challenge of Making Cancer History.

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Cancer Biology Spotlight

Students from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences selected Jian Hu, PhD, as the recipient of the 2019 John P. McGovern Award for Outstanding Teaching.

Hu is an assistant professor in the Department of Cancer Biology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. He has been a faculty member at the Graduate School since 2014 and he is affiliated with the GSBS Programs in Cancer Biology and Neuroscience.

His current research focuses on glioblastoma, the most common type of brain tumor, and a regulatory protein called Quaking (QKI) as a glioma suppressor. Hu’s lab has been interested in a special type of glioblastoma cells called glioma stem cells, which possess an inexhaustible ability to self-renew and produce tumors that resemble the features of original tumors. His lab has recently discovered a new mechanism through which glioma stem cells maintain their stem cell features during invasion and migration. Targeting the genes involved in this mechanism may lead to novel therapeutic opportunities for this deadly disease.

"I am honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award recognized by our students,” said Hu. “Teaching and mentoring have always been my passion. To me, teaching is never about telling students facts; instead, it is about inspiring students to think independently, critically, and deeply. I always urge the students in my class and my lab to challenge and question what they have been told as dogmas. It is really encouraging to me that our students like my style of teaching."

He received this award at the GSBS Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 18.

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Contact Us

Hu-Jian

Jian Hu, PhD

Director, Cancer Biology Program
Telephone: 713.794.5238
email: jhu3@mdanderson.org

Naora

Honami Naora, PhD

Co-Director, Cancer Biology Program - Cancer Discovery Track
Telephone: 713.563.4222
email: hnaora@mdanderson.org

Yee-103015

Cassian Yee, MD

Co-Director, Cancer Biology Program - Clinical Translational Oncology Track
Telephone: 713.563.3750
email: cyee@mdanderson.org

Dawn_head_shot_DW-T.jpg Dawn Wolf-Taylor

Program Coordinator
GSBS Office - BSRB S3.8332a
Telephone: 713.745.0682
email: dawn.m.wolftaylor@uth.tmc.edu