As important as the cancer genome sequencing initiatives are, the identification and cataloguing of large numbers of variations is only the first step in efforts to provide a scientific foundation for therapeutic breakthroughs. To achieve this broader goal, we must now understand how these variations alone and critically in combination contribute to the malignant properties of human tumors.
Two teams at UCSF are participating in the CTD^2 Initiative. We have formed a local synergistic alliance to expedite cancer therapeutic intervention:
Team 1
McManus Lab
Weissman Lab
Bivona Lab
Bandyopadhyay Lab
Ashworth Lab
Team 2
Weiss Lab
Balmain Lab
Krummel Lab
The goal of the Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD²) Network is to accelerate the translation of genomic discoveries into new cancer treatments through innovative research. Our team brings together a critical range of expertise in cancer biology, functional genomics, and systems biology as well as a unique next generation CRISPR screening strategies that greatly increase our ability to monitor the precise phenotypic consequences of perturbing combinations of genes.
Our ability to distinguish cancer drivers and passengers and identify cancer-relevant signaling networks using our cutting-edge novel gene interaction approach is of high-relevance to the CTD2 mission, and the goal of developing rational combination therapies that may improve outcomes for genetically-defined subsets of cancer patients. This is our unwavering mission.
