Cancer Engineering & Biological Systems Program

Accelerating the development, evaluation, and translation of transformational anticancer compounds.

Aims

1. Define pathways and mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression.
2. Identify therapeutic strategies and engineer novel cancer therapies.
3. Evaluate discoveries and precision therapies through bioengineered and comparative oncology models.
4. Nurture talented scientists in cancer research.

Program Leaders

Erik Nelson
Associate Professor
Molecular & Integrative Physiology

Themes

1. Anticancer Chemistry

The Anticancer Chemistry Theme advances the fundamental science of chemical synthesis and develops compounds relevant to cancer. We exploit advances in AI-mediated design, microfabricated reactors, and synthesis concepts to design, synthesize, and derivate potential anticancer compounds at unprecedented scales.

2. Comparative and Engineered Oncology Models

The Comparative and Engineered Oncology Models Theme leverages natural and engineered models to facilitate the translation of therapies. We invent and use modern bioengineering methods (microfabrication, synthetic biology, and materials science) to design tissue-engineered systems that mimic aspects of human cancers. Both models are used to study cancer progression and test therapies.

3. Mechanistic and Quantitative Biology

The Mechanistic & Quantitative Biology Theme studies fundamental biological processes relevant to cancer, mainly focusing on emerging cancer metabolism and spatial biology concepts. One important direction is to develop tools for whole-cell computational models and use them to simulate and visualize the quantitative biology of cancer-related cellular processes.