Steven Akman, MD
Graduate Program Director

My laboratory is interested in DNA damage and mutagenesis.

Yong Q. Chen, PhD 

My research focuses on two areas of prostate cancer; (1) genetic basis and lipid signaling in prostate cancer development, and (2) effect of dietary fat on prostate cancer development in genetically predisposed populations.

Scott D. Cramer, PhD

The current focus of my research is on the molecular dissection of signaling pathways in prostatic cells, the identification of prostate progenitor or stem cells, and understanding epithelial-stromal interactions in normal and abnormal ductal morphogenesis.

William H. Gmeiner, PhD 

Research in my laboratory is focused on developing novel cytotoxic oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) for treatment of prostate cancer and other malignancies and in understanding the role of DNA structure in carcinogenesis and cancer chemotherapy.

Steven Kridel, PhD

Research in my lab focuses on understanding the regulation of pathways that control fatty acid synthesis by fatty acid synthase in prostate cancer.

George Kulik, PhD

My laboratory is focusing on signal transduction mechanisms that protect prostate cancer cells from apoptosis. This information is necessary to design more effective therapies for advanced prostate cancer and other therapy resistant cancers.

Mark Miller, PhD 

Research in my laboratory is examining environmental/genetic interactions that affect an organism’s susceptibility to lung cancer formation, utilizing a variety of in vivo models and molecular biological techniques.

Karin D. Scarpinato,PhD
Graduate Program Co-Director

One of the main DNA repair pathways, mismatch repair (MMR) significantly contributes to the maintenance of genome stability and the elimination of extensively damaged cells.

Gary G.Schwartz, PhD, MPH, PhD

We have suggested that the descriptive epidemiology of prostate cancer, i.e., the increasing risk with age, Black race, and residence at northern latitudes, resemble the descriptive epidemiology of vitamin D deficiency in the elderly.

Darren F. Seals, PhD

Our  lab  is  interested  in  the  basic  mechanisms  of  cell  migration  and  invasion,  particularly  as  it  relates  to  tumor  growth  and  metastasis.

Guangchao Sui, PhD

The research in our lab focuses on the molecular mechanisms of the epigenetic regulation of tumorigenesis.

Frank Torti, MD
Chair

The Frank Torti Laboratory is interested in cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), as well as oxidative stress and DNA Damaging agents, such as radiation and chemotherapeutic agents and how they differentially affect the iron homeostatic mechanisms of normal cells and cancer cells.

Jim Vaughn, PhD

The Vaughn laboratory is focused on assaying the anti-tumor therapeutic potential of new classes of chemically modified DNA oligonucleotides.