Center for Inflammation and Cancer

Inflammation has been closely linked with various cancers. The goal of the Center for Inflammation and Cancer (CIC), which was established in 2008, is to provide an interactive platform across MD Anderson and the Texas Medical Center to study cross-regulation of inflammatory cell types and tumor microenvironments and the underlying molecular mechanisms using both animal models and patient samples.

The CIC members are actively involved in initiatives to advance understanding of the mechanisms by which inflammatory processes contribute to or prevent cancer. To enhance awareness of novel research, the CIC hosts a monthly seminar series in which distinguished scientists present their latest findings and interact with CIC faculty and trainees over a one- to two-day visit.

The CIC faculty also lead joint group meetings and cross-disciplinary events across the institution and Texas Medical Center (TMC) to facilitate interactions between immunology, inflammation and cancer biology researchers. These events include the TMC Hematopoiesis and Inflammation faculty group, which meets monthly to discuss unpublished research in an informal venue; the annual Immunology Retreat; and national and local conferences such as the 2018 TMC Hematopoiesis and Inflammation symposium, funded by the John S. Dunn Foundation, and the 2016 Regional Immunology Conference, which featured speakers from MD Anderson, Baylor College of Medicine, Methodist Hospital, the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Texas A&M University.

CIC faculty members also dedicate significant time to training and educating the next generation of scientists through didactic coursework at the graduate school, mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty in laboratory-based research and leading or participating in summer undergraduate research programs.