Page 4 - Wilmot Cancer Institute | UR Medicine

Research Programs of Excellence

The Wilmot Cancer Institute has long set the standard for excellence in cancer care in our community and beyond. W
scientists and clinicians/researchers will focus on four key research programs: hallmarks of cancer, blood cancers, so

HALLMARKS OF CANCER

Each of us has a unique genetic makeup—and sometimes
a genetic susceptibility to cancer. Instead of focusing
on single mutations within each cancer subtype, our
scientists are searching for the molecular flaws many
cancers have in common. We believe these common
hallmarks hold the key to future treatments. We envision a
day, for example, when cancer will be diagnosed through
its genetic features instead of an association to the
pancreas, lung, breast, or another organ. Meanwhile, we
search databases for current, approved drugs that might
target these genetic abnormalities. We work to discover
affordable precision treatments that disrupt core functions
of cancer—offering personalized medicine that can be
applied to broad groups of people, striking cancer in new
and more effective ways.

SOLID TUMOR CANCERS

We have united an expansive and diverse group of
specialists into one new program, to allow us to determine
more quickly what research will be most meaningful
to patients. Our scientific team includes specialties in
four main disease groups: genitourinary malignancies
(prostate and bladder cancer), gastrointestinal, breast,
and brain cancers. Their work is resulting in unexpected
and very promising collaborative research. Scientists
are exploring whether the breast cancer drug tamoxifen
might also be useful in treating brain tumors. Prostate
cancer investigators are working with geriatric oncologists
to better understand the link between anti-androgen
therapy and muscle loss in older men. GI team researchers
have discovered important similarities between liver
and pancreatic cancer, and are using the data to better
understand each type.