Taking aim at cancer
“Our Cancer Center is committed to performing impactful translational multi-disciplinary research that addresses unmet clinical needs relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”
– Ze'ev Ronai, Ph.D., Center Director
Achieving our goals through collaboration
Our scientists are always looking for novel ideas, partners and new ways of doing groundbreaking research to target cancer.
Programs
Tumor Initiation and Maintenance Program
Understanding the cells that give rise to tumors and the signals allowing them to expand uncontrollably will help us learn how to defeat cancer.
Cell and Molecular Biology of Cancer Program
Insights into the complex system of networks and mechanisms that tumors use to survive and proliferate will lead us to tumor-specific, less toxic therapies.
Aging, Cancer and Immuno-oncology Program
We are studying the interplay among cancer cells, immune cells and their environment to put the brakes on cancer.
Technology supporting the three programs
Cancer Center Shared Resources
The 10 shared resources of our Cancer Center are specialized service facilities that support the cancer research efforts of our members, as well as other nonprofit and for-profit investigators in cancer research.
Latest news
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Heating up cold brain tumors: An emerging approach to medulloblastoma
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, but it doesn’t work on many childhood brain tumors. Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys are working to change that. -
Three Sanford Burnham Prebys faculty receive promotions
Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer researchers Ani Deshpande, Brooke Emerling, and Charles Spruck have all been promoted from assistant to associate professor. -
Facing cancer disparities head-on: An interview with Svasti Haricharan
Svasti Haricharan, Ph.D., and her lab are revealing why more Black women get breast cancer, and they’re also telling us what we can do about it. -
Boosting immunotherapy in aggressive brain cancer
By deactivating the cells that sustain tumors, researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys are working to treat one of the deadliest brain cancers. -
How misplaced DNA contributes to chronic illness
Researchers from Sanford Burnham Prebys recently published a review article in the journal Cell about cytoplasmic DNA. This is DNA that has migrated outside of the nucleus, which can act as a short-term protective strategy against cancer formation. However, the DNA can also contribute to cancer development through chronic inflammation over the long term. -
How a breast cancer advocate shapes research at Sanford Burnham Prebys
Svasti Haricharan, a Sanford Burnham Prebys assistant professor and Karen McDonald, an advocate working with Svasti's team, discuss how to include patient voices in the biomedical research process. -
Sanford Burnham Prebys drug enters Phase 1 study for the treatment of tobacco use disorder
A drug discovered in the lab of Nicholas Cosford, Ph.D., professor and deputy director of the NCI-designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys, has entered a Phase 1 clinical study. -
Advocates for our Cancer Center ensure patient perspective is understood in the lab
Spotlight: Helen Eckmann and Ruth Claire Black share a common history with breast cancer and a drive to serve their community. -
Conrad Prebys Foundation provides $3 million for pediatric brain cancer research
The Conrad Prebys Foundation provides $3 million to Robert Wechsler-Reya, Ph.D., and his team of researchers to advance a potential drug to treat medulloblastoma—the most common malignant brain tumor in children. -
Alumni adventures: Catching up with student intern Daniel Million
Million reflects on how a summer internship at Sanford Burnham Prebys accelerated his scientific career. -
Scientists design potential drug for triple-negative breast cancer
Drug candidate blocks autophagy, a cellular recycling process that cancer cells hijack as a way to resist treatment. -
Mining “junk DNA” reveals a new way to kill cancer cells
Scientists unearth a previously unknown vulnerability for cancer and a promising drug candidate that leverages the approach.
Publications
PRMT5 control of cGAS/STING and NLRC5 pathways defines melanoma response to antitumor immunity.
Kim H, Kim H, Feng Y, Li Y, Tamiya H, Tocci S, Ronai ZA
Sci Transl Med 2020 Jul 8 ;12(551)
Inhibition of Nuclear Pore Complex Formation Selectively Induces Cancer Cell Death.
Sakuma S, Raices M, Borlido J, Guglielmi V, Zhu EYS, D'Angelo MA
Cancer Discov 2021 Jan ;11(1):176-193
Golgi Acidification by NHE7 Regulates Cytosolic pH Homeostasis in Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
Galenkamp KMO, Sosicka P, Jung M, Recouvreux MV, Zhang Y, Moldenhauer MR, Brandi G, Freeze HH, Commisso C
Cancer Discov 2020 Jun ;10(6):822-835
Targeted Delivery of Epidermal Growth Factor to the Human Placenta to Treat Fetal Growth Restriction.
Renshall LJ, Beards F, Evangelinos A, Greenwood SL, Brownbill P, Stevens A, Sibley CP, Aplin JD, Johnstone ED, Teesalu T, Harris LK
Pharmaceutics 2021 Oct 25 ;13(11)
ecDNA hubs drive cooperative intermolecular oncogene expression.
Hung KL, Yost KE, Xie L, Shi Q, Helmsauer K, Luebeck J, Schöpflin R, Lange JT, Chamorro González R, Weiser NE, Chen C, Valieva ME, Wong IT, Wu S, Dehkordi SR, Duffy CV, Kraft K, Tang J, Belk JA, Rose JC, Corces MR, Granja JM, Li R, Rajkumar U, Friedlein J, Bagchi A, Satpathy AT, Tjian R, Mundlos S, Bafna V, Henssen AG, Mischel PS, Liu Z, Chang HY
Nature 2021 Nov 24 ;
Inhibitors of the Hippo Pathway Kinases STK3/MST2 and STK4/MST1 Have Utility for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Bata N, Chaikuad A, Bakas NA, Limpert AS, Lambert LJ, Sheffler DJ, Berger LM, Liu G, Yuan C, Wang L, Peng Y, Dong J, Celeridad M, Layng F, Knapp S, Cosford NDP
J Med Chem 2021 Nov 22 ;
PLEKHA7 signaling is necessary for the growth of mutant KRAS driven colorectal cancer.
Jeung HC, Puentes R, Aleshin A, Indarte M, Correa RG, Bankston LA, Layng FIAL, Ahmed Z, Wistuba I, Yao Y, Duenas DG, Zhang S, Meuillet EJ, Marassi F, Liddington RC, Kirkpatrick L, Powis G
Exp Cell Res 2021 Nov 17 ;409(2):112930
New Tools for Streamlined In Vivo Homing Peptide Identification.
Põšnograjeva K, Pleiko K, Haugas M, Teesalu T
Methods Mol Biol 2022 ;2383:385-412
A systematic genome-wide mapping of oncogenic mutation selection during CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.
Sinha S, Barbosa K, Cheng K, Leiserson MDM, Jain P, Deshpande A, Wilson DM 3rd, Ryan BM, Luo J, Ronai ZA, Lee JS, Deshpande AJ, Ruppin E
Nat Commun 2021 Nov 11 ;12(1):6512