Life Sciences Research

Biochemistry & Molecular Biology

Cancer Therapeutics

Southern Research has had long-standing success in cancer research. Five FDA-approved anticancer drugs (lomustine, carmustine, dacarbazine, fludarabine, and clofarabine) and one cytoprotective agent (Ethyol) to reduce toxicities associated with cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been discovered at Southern Research.

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has broad research interests in tumor cell biology, mechanism of action of chemotherapeutic drugs, and development of novel therapeutic targets. The Department has strong research programs that are focused on 1) elucidating molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis, apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation, 2) understanding mechanisms of drug resistance, and 3) drug discovery based on purine and pyrimidine metabolism. The Department also has strong research interests in cancer chemoprevention with focused programs in retinoids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to investigate mechanism of action and enhance efficacy, while minimizing toxicity.

Senior Staff

Yonghe Li
Zhican Qu
William Parker
Gary A. Piazza
Jaideep Thottassery

AACR Poster Presentations

2010 American Association for Cancer Research

Southern Research is presenting original research at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting.

  • Novel Role of VEGF and Neuropilin-1 in Breast Cancer Tumor-Stromal Interactions
  • PYK2 and FAK in Breast Cancer
  • Serotonin Signal Transduction in Human Endothelial Cells
  • Targeting Endothelial Tubulogenesis for Anti-cancer Therapeutic Development