Department of Molecular Pathology

The primary focus of the department concerns the genes and gene products involved in the abnormal growth of tumor cells and the mechanisms by which these abnormal gene products induce cancer. The long-term goal of these studies is to develop new diagnostic reagents and new therapeutic strategies for cancer. The research activities of the department include several areas of investigations that relate to this theme. One area concerns gene products of proto-oncogenes involved in either tumor formation or leukemia. These particular gene products have been found to possess an important regulatory enzyme activity (for example, a protein kinase) that modulates many different cellular pathways. A second area of research concerns the study of a new class of genes involved in prolonging the survival of nongrowing cells by blocking programmed cell death, or apoptosis. This prolonged survival is believed to enable cells to undergo further genetic mutations that eventually lead to a malignant state. A third area concerns the role of cell-adhesion proteins involved in cell-to-cell interaction, with particular emphasis on prostate and breast cancers. Other areas of research include genes involved in drug resistance, HIV vaccines and therapy, retrovirus replication and recombination, factors required for normal and abnormal human B-lymphocyte growth and differentiation, gene therapy for liver disease, biophysical studies of cell membranes, and novel methods for separating and quantitating malignant cells in normal cell populations.

The department has 3 laboratories that provide reagents and services for faculty and staff researchers and/or clinicians. One laboratory provides synthetic antigens that are used primarily to produce antibody probes for basic and clinical research. A second laboratory screens blood cells from leukemia patients for a leukemia-causing protein (Ph Chromosome leukemias) using a test patented by M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (lead inventor, Dr. Ralph Arlinghaus). This blood test is now commercialized and producing revenue for the divisions of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. A third laboratory provides fresh human tumor tissues for research purposes.

Ralph B. Arlinghaus, Ph. D.
Chairman