# Translational Cancer Biology and Signaling Program

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · 2020 · $6,764

## Abstract

TRANSLATIONAL CANCER BIOLOGY AND SIGNALING (TCBS) RESEARCH PROGRAM 
ABSTRACT 
The Translational Cancer Biology and Signaling (TCBS) Research Program at the University of New Mexico 
Cancer Center (UNMCC), led by Bridget Wilson, PhD and Eric Prossnitz, PhD, unites an outstanding team of 
30 (25 full and 5 associate members) basic, translational, and clinical scientists from 3 University of New 
Mexico Schools and Colleges (School of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, College of Arts & Sciences) in 10 
academic departments and from New Mexico’s two Department of Energy National Laboratories (Los Alamos 
and Sandia National Laboratories). Program science is centered on mechanistic, translational, and clinical 
studies of cancer biology, focused on imaging and modeling signal transduction pathways critical for cancer 
etiology and progression in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. State-of-the-art methods are used to 
study the fundamental biology and function of established and novel cancer targets in cell signaling pathways, 
enhanced through collaborative interactions among many program members. The program’s goals are to 
accelerate the translation of our science to the design and conduct of investigator-initiated institutional and NCI 
NCTN-sponsored clinical trials as well as the design and conduct of embedded correlative science studies. 
The Specific Aims of the TCBS Program are to: 1) characterize, image, and model cell signaling pathways in 
normal and cancer cells, particularly focusing on normal and mutated cell surface receptors and their closely 
coupled signaling partners as well as intracellular trafficking and organelle-specific contributions to 
carcinogenesis; 2) investigate the contributions of cell-cell interactions and the microenvironment in cancer 
initiation, progression and metastasis; 3) define the roles of the immune response and linked inflammatory 
processes in both solid tumors and leukemia, with a focus on therapeutic antibody strategies; and 4) translate 
our discoveries to the development of therapeutic interventions against cell signaling targets and pathways, 
with integrated correlative science studies. 
During the prior funding period (from 2010 to 9/1/2014) of the UNMCC NCI P30 CCSG, TCBS Program 
members published 344 primary articles, book chapters and reviews including high impact journals such as the 
Nature journals, Immunity, PNAS and BLOOD. Collaboration is extensive, with 21% overall intra-programmatic 
publications (with annual percentages ranging from 17-28%). Almost a quarter of these publications were inter- 
programmatic (overall, 25%; range 17%-26%). In 2014, year to date, intra-programmatic publications are 28% 
while inter-programmatic publications are 21%. Funding to the TCBS Program (as of 9/1/14) is $9,159,653 in 
annual direct costs, of which $8,619,713 is peer-reviewed direct funding and $1,839,073 (20%) is from the 
NCI. A current portfolio of 30 clinical trials is led by clinician scien...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10230665
- **Project number:** 3P30CA118100-15S9
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** CHERYL LYNN WILLMAN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $6,764
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2005-09-26 → 2021-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10230665

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10230665, Translational Cancer Biology and Signaling Program (3P30CA118100-15S9). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10230665. Licensed CC0.

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