Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry and Microbiology - Cancer Biology and Regenerative Medicine

University of Cincinnati

The ability of a cell to control its growth and differentiation potential in response to particular environmental or developmental cues is essential in determining its correct function. When a cell loses this ability for whatever reason, it may grow in an unregulated fashion, leading to tumor formation and cancer as one possibility, or alternatively to a variety of developmental defects and other diseases. The department houses a large group of investigators whose programs impinge on these questions at many different levels, and whose research approaches range from the use of model organisms (particularly several mouse models) in both classical and reverse genetic analyses, through research with cultured cells and viral or environmental carcinogens, all the way to determining the structure of transcription factors and signaling complexes intimately involved in particular growth and development pathways.