The Cancer Biology Program

The Cancer Biology Program, an interdisciplinary program leading to a Ph.D degree, was established in 2001 to provide students with training in diverse areas of cancer biology research. Cancer is a multi-step disease resulting from a series of genetic and epigenetic changes that abrogate normal cellular controls. The goal of the program is to provide a framework in which to develop the necessary skills needed to becoming an independent investigator in the field of cancer biology. 

The Cancer Biology Program is composed of MUSC faculty whose interests include basic studies in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology and immunology and those whose translational research is focused on problems of immediate clinical applicability. The Cancer Biology curriculum provides an overview of cancer biology and allows students the opportunity to pursue research under faculty mentors who conduct research relevant to understanding the molecular or cellular basis of any aspect of the cause, characteristics and treatment of cancer. Thus, the Cancer Biology Program provides research opportunities in many areas of Cancer Biology including Functional Genetics, Molecular Biology of Cancer, Experimental Therapeutics and Cancer Immunology. Students are encouraged to use the resources and expertise of several laboratories during the development of their cancer related dissertation projects, providing an enhanced experience that increases the expertise and competitiveness of our graduates. Following training in the first year common curriculum students are able to take additional coursework, participate in both formal seminar presentations and journal clubs to hone scientific knowledge and methodologies. Successful students complete a publishable research project under a faculty mentor and present the research as a thesis.

The Cancer Biology Program has faculty with divergent research areas including:

• Apoptosis
• Angiogenesis
• Migration and Invasion
• MetastasisTumor
• Microenvironment
• Molecular Profiling
• Immunotherapy
• Small Molecule Intervention and Drug Discovery

Cancer Biology Faculty

Members

Barnoud, Thibaut
Current Membership Start Date: 10/14/2021
barnoud@musc.edu

Carroll, Steven L.
Current Membership Start Date: 3/25/2014
carrolst@musc.edu

De Cubas, Aguirre
Current Membership Start Date: 10/14/2021
decubas@musc.edu

Delaney, Joseph
Current Membership Start Date: 12/21/2018
delaneyj@musc.edu

Duncan, Stephen A.
Current Membership Start Date:  9/1/2015
duncanst@musc.edu

Engevik, Amy
Current Membership Start Date: 8/19/2022
engevika@musc.edu

Engevik, Mindy
Current Membership Start Date: 2/19/2021
engevik@musc.edu

Feghali-Bostwick, Carol
Current Membership Start Date: 12/20/2017
feghalib@musc.edu

Ferreira, Leonardo
Current Membership Start Date: 8/12/2021
ferreirl@musc.edu

Gan, Wenjian
Current Membership Start Date: 10/1/2018
ganw@musc.edu

Gangaraju, Vamsi K.
Current Membership Start Date: 10/18/2013
gangaraj@musc.edu

Gao, Xueliang
Current Membership Start Date: 1/21/2022
gaox@musc.edu

Gemmill, Robert M.
Current Membership Start Date: 7/18/2007
gemmill@musc.edu

Guglietta, Silvia
Current Membership Start Date: 9/12/2022
gugliett@musc.edu

Graybill, Whitney S.
Current Membership Start Date: 12/31/2017
graybill@musc.edu

Gudi, Radhika
Current Membership Start Date: 10/24/2022
gudi@musc.edu

Guttridge, Denis C.
Current Membership Start Date: 3/14/2018
guttridg@musc.edu

Hartman, Jessica
Current Membership Start Date: 4/22/2020
hartmanj@musc.edu

Hill, Elizabeth G.
Current Membership Start Date: 8/25/2006
hille@musc.edu

Hobbs, Aaron
Current Membership Start Date: 9/1/2020
hobbsg@musc.edu

Howe, Philip H.
Current Membership Start Date: 5/6/2011
howep@musc.edu

Jakymiw, Andrew G.
Current Membership Start Date: 11/10/2010
jakymiw@musc.edu

Kourtidis, Antonis
Current Membership Start Date: 6/27/2016
kourtidi@musc.edu

LaRue, Amanda C.
Current Membership Start Date: 8/15/2008
laruerc@musc.edu

Long, David T.
Current Membership Start Date: 12/8/2014
longdt@musc.edu

Munera, Jorge
Current Membership Start Date: 1/22/2019
munera@musc.edu

O'Neil, Richard
Current Membership Start Date: 8/12/2021
oneilr@musc.edu

Ostrowski, Michael C.
Current Membership Start Date: 6/1/2017
ostrowsk@musc.edu

Paczesny, Sophie
Current Membership Start Date: 7/1/2020
paczesns@musc.edu

Palanisamy, Viswanathan
Current Membership Start Date: 9/1/2009
visu@musc.edu

Pandey, Janardan P.
Current Membership Start Date: 3/18/2004
pandeyj@musc.edu

Rodriguez-Blanco, Jezabel
Current Membership Start Date: 3/20/2020
rblanco@musc.edu

Saini, Natalie
Current Membership Start Date: 12/18/2020
sainina@musc.edu

Tomlinson, Stephen
Current Membership Start Date: 4/13/2004
tomlinss@musc.edu

Traktman, Paula
Current Membership Start Date: 9/1/2015
traktman@musc.edu

Vasu, Chenthamarakshan
Current Membership Start Date: 8/8/2011
vasu@musc.edu

Wilkerson, Brent A.
Current Membership Start Date: 6/18/2021
wilkersb@musc.edu

Wright, Cynthia F.
Current Membership Start Date: 6/28/2022
wrightcf@musc.edu

Yao, Hai
Current Membership Start Date: 11/15/2019
yaoh@musc.edu

Yilmaz, Ozlem
Current Membership Start Date: 8/12/2021
yilmaz@musc.edu

Yoon, Angela J.
Current Membership Start Date: 7/7/2022
yoona@musc.edu

Yoon, Je-Hyun
Current Membership Start Date: 2/3/2016
yoonje@musc.edu

Affiliates

Ahmed, Mahtabuddin
Current Membership Start Date: 10/1/2020
mahmed2@scsu.edu

Awgulewitsch, Alexander
Current Membership Start Date: 10/21/2005
awgulewa@musc.edu

Bhat, Narayan R.
Current Membership Start Date: 10/29/2019
bhatnr@musc.edu

Boylan, Alice M.
Current Membership Start Date: 1/7/2003
boylana@musc.edu

Brown, Shanora
Current Membership Start Date: 10/1/2020
sglymph@scsu.edu

Cole, David J.
Current Membership Start Date: 3/1/2008
coledj@musc.edu

Eblen, Scott T.
Current Membership Start Date: 2/4/2013
eblen@musc.edu

Elston, Dirk
Current Membership Start Date: 6/8/2018
elstond@musc.edu

Evans-Knowell, Ashley
Current Membership Start Date: 10/12/2020
aevans10@scsu.edu

Fan, Daping
Current Membership Start Date: 8/19/2022
daping.fan@uscmed.sc.edu

Ghatak, Shibnath
Current Membership Start Date: 9/1/2009
ghatak@musc.edu

Gooz, Monika
Current Membership Start Date: 2/15/2008
beckm@musc.edu

Haque, Azizul
Current Membership Start Date: 7/19/2004
haque@musc.edu

Helke, Kristi L.
Current Membership Start Date: 1/17/2018
helke@musc.edu

Hofseth, Lorne J.
Current Membership Start Date: 11/1/2016
hofseth@cop.sc.edu

Kiaris, Hippokrastis
Current Membership Start Date: 11/26/2014
kiarish@sccp.sc.edu

Kuppuswamy, Dhandapani
Current Membership Start Date: 10/9/2019
kuppusd@musc.edu

Mohanty, Bidyut K.
Current Membership Start Date: 10/9/2019
mohanty@musc.edu

Muise-Helmericks, Robin C.
Current Membership Start Date: 12/1/2015
musehelm@musc.edu

Oleinik, Natalia V.
Current Membership Start Date: 1/17/2018
oleinikn@musc.edu

Palygin, Oleg
Current Membership Start Date: 8/19/2022
palygin@musc.edu

Randle, Diandra
Current Membership Start Date: 6/18/2021
drandle@scsu.edu

Rohrer, Baerbel M.
Current Membership Start Date: 9/15/2009
rohrer@musc.edu

Singh, Inderjit
Current Membership Start Date: 10/29/2019
singhi@musc.edu

Spyropoulos, Demetri D.
Current Membership Start Date: 12/1/2015
spyropdd@musc.edu

Thomas, Courtney
Current Membership Start Date: 10/12/2020
cthoma17@scsu.edu