Basic Science Division

Basic Science Excellence

The foundation of basic science excellence at the University of Michigan contributes to the strength of the Rogel Cancer Center and its major contributions to cancer research. With our mission to reduce the burden of cancer, the basic science team focuses on accelerating fundamental lab discoveries of cancer’s biological and molecular structure. The identification of these novel cancer targets are then translated to the design of therapeutics for cancer treatment.

Collaboration across Programs

Expert basic scientists work collaboratively across many departments including medicine, engineering and mathematics to understand the molecular mechanisms of cancer. Identifying promising discoveries to improve how we diagnose, treat and prevent cancer, our cancer center’s basic science enterprise is organized into four collaborative programs:

Basic Science Contributes to Increased Cancer Survivorship

The number of cancer survivors continues to increase because of advances in cancer research. Through basic laboratory research, we are making significant progress in understanding the biological mechanisms of how a cell changes from a normal cell to cancer. Basic science researchers are making fundamental discoveries and working with colleagues across the cancer center to translate those discoveries into novel interventions to benefit patients.