W. M. Keck Center for Innovative Cancer Therapies

Gene therapy is the transfer of normal or redesigned genes into a patient to reduce or alleviate a disease state.

Certain potentially cancerous genes are dormant in all of us and are sometimes triggered into activity. Other genes, tumor-suppressor genes, act naturally to stop unregulated growth of cancer cells.

The W. M. Keck Center for Innovative Cancer Therapies program at MD Anderson has assembled scientists and clinicians with an interest in sharing research ideas and findings worldwide. We all share the common goal of curing cancer.

Goal

The major goals of the Innovative Cancer Therapies program will be to enhance communication and collaboration among investigators and to develop new funding opportunities. One goal of the program is to obtain sufficient funding to set up a permanent endowment. This endowment would provide continuous funding for a Innovative Cancer Therapies Institute. This would be “an institute without walls” that would be inclusive for all investigators with an interest in related areas of research.

The Innovative Cancer Therapies program is highly interactive with existing programs. It is likely that gene therapy research projects will develop in other programs and that these programs will seek expertise in gene therapy. We also hope to increase recruitment of faculty with expertise in areas of gene transfer.