DCB Research Programs

The Division of Cancer Biology (DCB) supports research programs that foster emerging areas in cancer biology and the development of new experimental models for cancer research. These networks are funded through cooperative agreements and research project grants that promote collaborative interactions. These unique programs facilitate the development of important fields and are advancing basic cancer research.

Selected Programs from DCB:

Acquired Resistance to Therapy Network (ARTNet)

Focusing on the mechanistic basis of acquired resistance to cancer therapies and disease recurrence.

Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research

Determining the biological mechanisms that alter glycosylation to promote cancer and developing glycan-based markers that can be used for the early detection of cancer.

Barrett's Esophagus Translational Research Network (BETRNet)

Centralizing and enhancing efforts to understand Barrett's esophagus (BE) and to prevent esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA).

Cancer Systems Biology Consortium (CSBC)

Using systems biology to advance the understanding of mechanisms that underlie fundamental processes in cancer.

Cancer Tissue Engineering Collaborative (TEC)

Supporting the development and characterization of state-of-the-art biomimetic tissue-engineered technologies for cancer research.

Cellular Cancer Biology Imaging Research (CCBIR)

Developing and testing imaging technologies at the cellular and organ scales driven by questions in cancer biology.

Metastasis Research Network (MetNet)

Supporting research to advance the understanding towards a more comprehensive appreciation of metastasis as a whole-body, systems-level problem.

Onco-Aging Consortium (OAC)

Supporting research addressing key questions regarding how hallmarks of aging lead to impaired cellular activities and alterations in the microenvironment that contribute to the development of cancer-initiating cells.

Oncology Models Forum (OMF)

Advancing standard practices for modeling human cancers in mammalian models and facilitating collaborations, data sharing, and harmonization of mammalian models.

Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Stromal Reprogramming Consortium (PSRC)

Focusing on the identification, integration, and mechanistic evaluation of tumor microenvironment elements driving pancreatic cancer progression and response to therapy.

Patient-Derived Models of Cancer (PDMC) Program

Developing and characterizing patient-derived models to investigate the biological mechanisms that drive cancer phenotype and response to perturbations.

Physical Sciences - Oncology Network (PS-ON)

Bringing together cancer biologists with scientists from the fields of physics and engineering to address some of the major questions in cancer research.

Program on the Origins of Gastroesophageal Cancers

Aiming to define how gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) adenocarcinomas initially evolve at the cellular level.

Translational and Basic Science Research in Early Lesions (TBEL)

Aiming to understand the biological and pathophysiological mechanisms driving or restraining pre-cancers and early cancers to enable the development of biology-backed precision prevention approaches.