Eva Kiesler, PhD

Scientists have identified genes and biological mechanisms that one day could be targeted with drugs to stop kidney cancer from spreading to the bone, brain, or other organs.

Methods to generate stem cells have given scientists new ways to study some diseases and identify potential drugs, and could one day be used to rebuild diseased or damaged tissues in patients.

In the lab of cancer biologist Scott Lowe, researchers are investigating the processes that naturally inhibit cancer development.

When new cancer drugs are shown to be largely ineffective, exceptional cases of good outcome may pave the way for new treatments that could benefit a smaller group of patients.

In the largest study of genes and smoking performed in a minority population to date, researchers have discovered a gene variant that increases a person’s risk of smoking.

Rhonda D’Agostino cares for people with life-threatening complications due to cancer or its treatment – and helped pioneer a new ICU model that trains nurse practitioners and physician assistants to deliver the highest standard of care.

As a child, Michael Kharas knew that he wanted to “be making the drugs doctors use to cure people.” Today he investigates molecular processes that stem cells and tumor cells have in common – in the hopes of uncovering insights for treatments for cancer and other diseases.