The Legorreta Cancer Center is building world-class cancer research programs that bring basic science discoveries about cancer, interdisciplinary clinical, translational, and population research to innovative therapeutic, disease intervention and cancer prevention clinical trials to patients in the State of Rhode Island. The Cancer Center is an outgrowth of the Joint Program in Cancer Biology at Brown and Brown University Health. In 2021, we received a generous $25 million gift from life sciences entrepreneur and investor Pablo Legorreta and his wife, Almudena, that will help advance our goals.
Our members represent Brown University, the Brown University Health Cancer Institute, the affiliated hospitals, The Warren Alpert Medical School, and Brown’s School of Public Health and School of Engineering, among others. Our goal is to understand genetic and environmental risk of cancer, to prevent cancer whenever possible including by avoiding tobacco smoke, excessive sun exposure, alcohol, and cancer vaccination.
We are working to understand how cancer develops, grows and metastasizes, and to develop new biomarkers and treatments for patients in a personalized way that addresses their needs ranging from risk through survivorship. Our goal is to impact on cancer in Rhode Island and beyond through outstanding research programs that uphold the high standards of excellence adopted by the National Cancer Institute.
As you browse our faculty listings within our core research programs in Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapeutics, and Population Science, our cancer type-specific Translational Research Disease Groups (TRDGs), our core resources and clinical trials, we invite you to join us in our interdisciplinary meetings, program initiatives, special seminars, retreats, and community outreach efforts.
Our research activities span cellular, molecular analysis of the tumor microenvironment at high resolution, genomics and Precision Oncology, cell cycle, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, cell death, DNA repair, cellular senescence, cancer inflammation, cancer immunotherapy, drug discovery, first-in-human and other early phase investigator-initiated clinical trials across a range of tumor types, health services, addiction and disease epidemiology research. There will be announcements for pilot funding opportunities, and opportunities to develop collaborative multi-investigator programs in all our areas of focus.
Our clinical programs cover all tumor types through multidisciplinary teams of specialists and tumor boards with state-of-the-art clinical trials that are available conveniently within the State of Rhode Island. We have special interests in cancers with higher rates in Rhode Island such as bladder cancer, lung cancer, breast, thyroid and skin cancer, as well as issues of access to care and affordability of care within our population. Our researchers are working to bring new clinical trials for patients with all cancer types.
Our research laboratories, clinics, and population research programs offer outstanding training opportunities for students, research and clinical fellows and offer a fertile environment for faculty career development.
We welcome members of the public as well as Brown alumni to learn more about our exciting programs, to tour our facilities, and to meet our basic scientists, clinicians, and population researchers. We thank you for your support of our cancer programs.
Please let me know if I can answer any questions or be of any help to you.
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Wafik S. El-Deiry, MD, PhD, FACP
American Cancer Society Research Professor
Director, Cancer Center at Brown University
Director, Joint Program in Cancer Biology, Brown University and Brown University Health Cancer Institute
Attending Physician, Hematology/Oncology, Brown University Health Cancer Institute
Mencoff Family University Professor, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University
Associate Dean, Oncologic Sciences
The Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University