Cancer Cell Biology and Oncogenomics - John A. Copland

Translational Combinatorial Therapies for Human Cancers

Graph showing changes in percent growth inhibition. Single drugs had little effect, while certain combinations were synergistic.

In the past, treatment for cancer was simply the surgical excision of the tumor and some surrounding tissue. As cancer treatment evolved, other methods were added after the initial surgical procedure, including radiation treatment and chemotherapeutics. These chemotherapeutic drugs play a key role in promoting tumor shrinkage and hopefully preventing relapse.

Current scientific techniques allow the laboratory of John A. Copland, Ph.D., to identify novel genetic targets for specific subtypes of cancer. One goal of the lab is to test drugs that manipulate these novel genes and proteins in combinations that are specific to the subtype of cancer.

The lab hopes to identify synergistic combinations and explore their mechanisms of action in order to promote "bench to bedside" research, as well as to replace the current standard of care with more-effective therapies that have fewer side effects.