Research Mission

Hundreds of doctors, other scientists, and technicians work in more than 60 research laboratories in the Arizona Cancer Center. Armed with test tubes, cancer cells, computers, and tumor models, they search for the missing pieces of the cancer puzzle in their efforts to prevent and cure cancer.

Our research at the molecular level focuses on the secrets hidden in DNA, the genetic material found within each cell. Usually cells divide a finite number of times and contain checkpoints that tell the cell when to stop dividing.

Ongoing studies are helping us understand how this normal sequence can go wrong. Our researchers want to know why certain genes instruct cells to divide when they are not supposed to, and how these mutated cells can sometimes form a tumor. This information also can provide clues to how a patient may respond to treatment or predict when a tumor will behave aggressively. This research will pinpoint the gene targets we need to go after in improving strategies to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer.

The Arizona Cancer Center also is a leader in the development of new therapies to combat cancer. Our drug discovery researchers have tested thousands of compounds, plant extracts, traditional remedies, and drugs currently used for other purposes to see if they may be potential anticancer treatments. New drugs with significant impact on the treatment of patients with leukemia, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer have been developed and tested here.

And the search for even better treatments continues. Arizona Cancer Center scientists are analyzing the structure and function of certain proteins implicated in the development of cancer. Through understanding how these basic building blocks of life work, our scientists can design new drugs specifically to stop the mechanics of cancer. Our goal is to develop a new generation of targeted drugs that not only will be more effective but also less toxic because they will attack only cancer cells without hurting healthy tissue. Once the targets are known, cancer will no longer be able to hide.

The power to make advances against cancer is generated through the research conducted by our dedicated team. Daily, new ideas are translated into scientific data that demonstrate progress, allowing cures to be developed. Research holds the promise of discovery and the power to cure.

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