Skip to main content

Research We Fund: Extramural Discovery Science

Biochemistry and Immunology of Cancer

red cancer cell with blue DNA strand

Scientific Director: 
Doug Hurst, PhD

Scientist: 
Nicole Lopanik, PhD

For all questions, contact: 
Nicole.Lopanik@cancer.org

This program accepts grant applications that focus on: 

  • Genes involved in cancer and the roles alterations in those genes (mutations, deletions, and amplifications) play in cancer processes
  • Molecules involved in cancer (proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates) and how alterations in those molecules affect the disease
  • Potential targets for new treatments of cancer and mechanisms of signal transduction
  • Investigations of the immunology of cancer including blood cell development, immunotherapy, inflammatory responses, immunosurveillance, and innate and adaptive immunity
  • Investigations of oncogenic viruses, microbial pathogens, or the microbiome, and their involvement with molecular processes and pathways within cancer cells including tumor antigens and immunity

Glossary for Nonscientists

Featured Term:
Germline Pathogenic Variations

A type of mutated gene that gets passed down from a parent to child and that causes disease, such as cancer. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are examples of germline pathogenic variations because they are passed down by parents and increase the risk of developing several types of cancer.