Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program Summary The research goals of the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention (CC) Program are to identify the chemical and molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis in order to develop strategies to prevent cancer and to affect public policy to reduce carcinogen exposure. These goals encompass major Specific Aims that have significant synergy: 1) Characterize the harmful effects of tobacco chemicals and products and develop biomarkers for cancer risk stratification in clinical and epidemiological studies; 2) Understand the landscape of exposures and biochemical pathways leading to cancer to identify tools for cancer susceptibility assessment, prevention, and treatment; and 3) Identify food products, as well as natural and synthetic chemicals, that reduce cancer risk. The CC Program is led by Lisa Peterson, PhD, and Frank Ondrey, MD, PhD, FACS, who have complementary experience that provides strong and synergistic leadership, and has 22 members from 15 departments across 8 colleges, schools, and institutes at the University of Minnesota. The CC Program is highly productive, as evidenced by the number (523) of intra- (21%) and interprogrammatic (28%) as well as interinstitutional (70%) publications and cancer-relevant grant funding ($7.2M). A crosscutting theme of the Program is biomarker development to generate tools to identify at-risk individuals and support targeted prevention or therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, the Program’s research tackles all the cancers with elevated risk in Minnesota such as melanoma, breast, corpus uteri, blood (leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma), and bladder cancer as well as other cancers highly prevalent in the state. The Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) provides many benefits to the CC Program including Shared Resources (particularly Analytical Biochemistry, Biostatistics, Cancer Genomics, and Comparative Pathology); pilot funding; and funds for retreats, seminars, conferences, and other meetings. Translation of our basic research findings has been facilitated by active involvement of Program members in 8 Translational Working Groups. All of these activities have helped enhance the interactions among Program members as well as with individuals from other Programs and institutions. The future directions and goals of the Program fit well within all 4 pillars of MCC’s Strategic Plan. Recently obtained funding engages the Minnesota community and care providers with the goal of accelerating the path to cancer prevention and cures, particularly for lung, head and neck, blood and prostate cancers. In addition, we will build on the success of the 10,000 Family Study by partnering with members of the SPECS Program and Community Outreach and Engagement to expand our work linking environmental exposures to cancers of concern to Minnesotans.