Overview
The Hematology / Oncology Division has as its mission the provision of superb, state-of-the-art care for children with cancer, diseases of the blood and disorders of the immune system. In close collaboration with the Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology Division, the Hematology / Oncology Division continues to build clinical, translational and clinical research programs that are disease-focused and based upon the scientific themes of stem cell biology, molecular and gene therapy, cell signaling, leukemia biology, cancer pathology and cancer biology.
The clinical services within the Hematology / Oncology Division are aligned in a disease-specific manner with clinical faculty and services in oncology, blood and marrow transplantation, hematology and immunodeficiency.
Clinical Trials
Additionally, the Clinical Management and Research Support Core assists investigators in the conduct of human clinical trials, assures the appropriate conduct of clinical trials, maximizes the safety of research participants, protects the integrity and confidentiality of research data and ensures compliance with local and federal regulations.
Current Basic Research Objectives:
- Developing gene transfer technology for use in therapeutic applications
- Designing safer vectors for gene therapy
- Focusing on comprehension of the genotypic variations affecting drug metabolism and DNA repair pathways
- Gaining a fuller understanding of the Rho GTPase family of proteins in cell functions
- Improving the hydration of the sickle cell
- Understanding the role of potassium chloride co transportation in red blood cells and in gene expression
- Development of novel pathway regulating cell motility involving tumor suppressors
- Characterizing a brain-specific GTPase-activating protein
Together, the Hematology / Oncology and Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology Divisions work to enhance innovation in clinical trials and care delivery.
