Education & Training
Basic Laboratory Science

Basic laboratory science research at the Cancer Research Center is performed by independent investigators, who employ cellular and molecular biological, and chemical approaches to study the mechanisms regulating cellular neoplastic transformation, cell growth, gene regulation, and apoptosis. Collaborative efforts are also underway to identify novel modulators of oncogene proteins and cytoskeletal elements from blue-green algae and higher plant natural products. Participating investigators are members of the Natural Products and Cancer Biology Program of the Cancer Research Center. Laboratory training opportunities are also provided by investigators in the Epidemiology Program. Research is performed in modern, well-equipped laboratories, which are located at the Cancer Research Center building on Lauhala Street, the Bioscience Building on the School of Medicine Kakaako campus, and in Bilger Hall on the University of Hawai‘i Manoa campus. The close proximity of the laboratories and their investigators at Lauhala Street and in Kakaako provide generous opportunities for the interaction of personnel and the interchange of concepts and information.

Research training opportunities are provided by these laboratories for advanced high school students, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers yearlong and during the summer months. Undergraduate students from academic programs at the University of Hawai‘i's Manoa campus or Chaminade University perform directed research projects. Graduate students from the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program (http://www.hawaii.edu/cmb/) in the School of Medicine or the Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering Graduate Program (http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mbbe/graduate_program.html) in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources engage in laboratory rotations and/or PhD dissertation research under the guidance of these laboratory investigators. Numerous postdoctoral fellows from local, national, and international origins obtain advanced laboratory training in the Center's facilities. Support of graduate or postdoctoral students working in a laboratory is provided by the laboratory Principal Investigator. The basic science faculty have joint appointments in the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology in the John A. Burns School of Medicine or the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. The research training experience of students at the CRCH is enriched by formal courses offered by various undergraduate and graduate departments on the University of Hawai‘i Manoa campus, seminar series organized by the CRCH (Center-wide seminar series, Cancer Biology Student Seminar Series) and University, as well as, several journal clubs offered by various molecular and cellular basic laboratory science faculty (Molecular and Cellular Biology of Cancer).

Scientific instrumentation at the CRCH is maintained and serviced by an in-house technician operating from the Laboratory Shared Instrumentation Resource. The Center's laboratory research activities are supported by the Greenwood Molecular Biology Core Facility and the Advanced Studies in Genomics, Proteomics and Bioinformatics core facility (http://asgpb.mhpcc.hawaii.edu/) on the University of Hawai‘i Manoa campus, which provide automated DNA and protein sequencing, oligonucleotide and peptide synthesis, amino acid composition analysis, molecular modeling, and proteomics and genomics services. The main Hamilton research library is also located on the Manoa campus, which is easily accessed in approximately 20 minutes from the Center. Pertinent research journals subscribed to by Hamilton library or the Cancer Center can be accessed through the Internet by a state of the art, fiber optic computer network, which services all laboratories in the Center.

 

Faculty
Andre S. Bachmann, PhD
Marla Berry, PhD
Michele Carbone, PhD
B.J. Chain, PhD
Leng Chee Chang, PhD
Robert V. Cooney, PhD
Wael ElShamy, PhD
Adrian Franke, PhD
David Fritzinger, PhD
Thomas Hemscheidt, PhD
Alan F. Lau, PhD
Patricia Lorenzo, PhD
Michelle Matter, PhD
Jun Panee, PhD
John Pezzuto, PhD
Joe Ramos, PhD
Marcus Tius, PhD
Carl W. Vogel, MD, PhD
Randal K. Wada, MD
Philip Williams, PhD
Anthony Wright, PhD
Haining Yang, PhD