Thomas J. Slaga, PhD
Thomas J. Slaga, PhD is the President of ACRCF. He also serves as Deputy Director of the CTRC at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the National Cancer Institute’s designated cancer centers. He is also a professor is the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Dr. Slaga received his PhD in physiology and biochemistry from the University of Arkansas Medical Center in 1969. From 1968 - 1971, he was a postdoctoral fellow... [continue]

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Anna R. Giuliano, PhD
Dr. Giuliano is an internationally recognized speaker and consultant who has served on a number of committees and investigative task forces of CARE International. Research interests include cancer epidemiology biomarkers; nutritional supplements and diet as chemopreventive agents; HPV and cervical cancer, breast cancer, and cancer screening. Dr. Giuliano is a member of ASPO, AACR, SER, and IEA, and has contributed significantly to the Institute of Medicine publication, The Unequal Burden of Cancer. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded $10 million to Dr. Giuliano for a study to determine men's role in the spread of the human papillomavirus virus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer. The NIH grant is the largest ever to a cancer control and prevention researcher at Moffitt. [continue]

Andres J.P. Klein-Szanto, MD, PhD
Tumor progression is a chain of cellular and molecular events that occur gradually during the development of neoplasia. We are studying the role of pro-protein convertases (PCs) such PACE-4 and furin during the early and late stages of tumor progression because these enzymes activate cancer related biomolecules. Over-expression of PCs correlates with aggressive tumor features both in mouse models and in human tumors. This has been demonstrated in our laboratory using tumor   [continue]

David G. Kaufman, MD, PhD
Cells are particularly vulnerable to the cancer causing effects of chemicals if the treatments occur when the cells start to synthesize DNA during the cell growth cycle. Studies are probing the mechanisms that cause this susceptibility including identifying genomic sites replicated early in the DNA synthesis phase. A separate area of study concerns the development of endometrial cancer. Human endometrium has been reconstructed in culture from its constituent cells and interactions between endometrial epithelial and stromal cells determine normal tissue structure and function. The reconstructed endometrium has been used to reproduce steps of endometrial cancer development in translational studies.   [continue]

Gunjan Malik, PhD
Glucocorticoids (GC) are a class of steroid hormones that are used to treat several cancers and various other allergic, inflammatory, and autoimmune disorders. However, their use is often limited by the numerous side effects. Separation of the anti-inflammatory effects of glucocorticoids from some of their side effects could be achieved by dissociated glucocorticoids, which are defined as those compounds that promote... [continue]

Susan L. Mooberry, PhD
Our research is dedicated to the discovery of more effective therapies for the treatment of cancer. There are several aspects to our work including drug discovery, identification of the mechanisms of drug action, the nature of drug resistance, identifying rational drug combinations and elucidation of the signaling pathways by which antimitotic agents prevent normal cell division and induce cancer cell death...   [continue]

Craig B. Thompson, MD
Proliferating cancer cells exhibit a robust but seemingly wasteful metabolism. Two nutrients, glucose (a simple sugar) and glutamine (an amino acid), are consumed by tumor cells at rates in vast excess of their utilization by normal cells. The Thompson laboratory has shown that the uptake of each of these nutrients is under the control of distinct oncogenes implicated in causing cancer. The PI3K/Akt/TOR signaling pathway plays the primary role in directing cellular glucose uptake and metabolism. Deregulation of this pathway in cancer can be imaged... [continue]

Sung-Jen Wei, PhD
Skin cancer has become a worldwide public health problem, with nearly one million new cases of skin cancers yearly in the United States. It is well known that skin cancers including non-melanomas and melanomas are, most likely, the result of complex interactions between host risk factors (genetic aberrations and immunosuppression) and environmental exposures to ultraviolet irradiation and chemical carcinogens. The non-melanoma skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma..  [continue]