Cancer

Research

Brain Cancer

Brain cancer comes in many devastating forms, impairing a person’s ability to think, communicate and move. Each year in the United States, around 80,000 new cases of brain tumors are diagnosed (both benign and malignant) – 23,980 new cases of which are malignant brain tumors. And despite progress in genetic analysis and classification, the prognosis for many tumor patients remains poor—brain cancers kill around 18,000 Americans annually. At the Salk Institute, we are searching for new cellular targets to treat brain cancer, explaining the recurrence of brain tumors following treatment and identifying ways to prevent recurrence. In addition, we have developed unique methods for studying brain cancer in mice that should speed the development of new therapies. A brain cancer diagnosis is life changing, but we envision a future where, thanks to science, cancer is defeated and life goes on.

News Faculty

Salk Institute launches collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

May 9, 2023

Three Salk scientists among 2022 Curebound Discovery Grant winners

October 19, 2022

Salk scientists curb growth of cancer cells by blocking access to key nutrients

January 10, 2018

Scientists find key driver for treatment of deadly brain cancer

January 8, 2016

New drug squashes cancer’s last-ditch efforts to survive

June 25, 2015

Tony Hunter, PhD

American Cancer Society Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory

Axel Nimmerjahn, PhD

Associate Professor

Waitt Advanced Biophotonics Center

Clodagh O’Shea, PhD

Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory

Satchidananda Panda, PhD

Professor

Regulatory Biology Laboratory

Breast Cancer

In breast cancer, a group of cells forms a malignant tumor that invades surrounding tissue. These cells then often spread to other parts of the body in a process called metastasis. It’s a deadly and all too common disease. In the United States each year, some 230,000 women are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer and 40,000 will die from the disease. At the Salk Institute, we are charting genetic missteps that can lead mammary cells to become cancerous. We are identifying weaknesses in various types of breast cancers, leading to new molecular targets for therapies. And we are developing and testing precision therapies, ranging from groundbreaking drugs to novel tumor-busting viruses. With each discovery, we are demystifying breast cancer and turning knowledge into cures.

News Faculty

Salk Institute launches collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

May 9, 2023

Three Salk scientists among 2022 Curebound Discovery Grant winners

October 19, 2022

Salk Institute Professor Geoffrey Wahl receives 2022 Susan G. Komen® Brinker Award

October 10, 2022

Mapping normal breast development to better understand cancer

October 8, 2019

A master switch controls aggressive breast cancer

August 30, 2018

Diana Hargreaves, PhD

Associate Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory

Geoffrey Wahl, PhD

Professor

Gene Expression Laboratory

Lung Cancer

Lung cancer, which affects nonsmokers as well as smokers, is the most common cancer worldwide, causing 1.6 million deaths a year, far more than pancreatic, breast and colon cancer combined. In the United States, over 220,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, and 158,000 will die from the disease. At the Salk Institute, we study the errant genetic programming that causes lung cancer, searching for ways to diagnose lung cancers earlier and to kill tumors more effectively. We have developed unique research models to study lung cancer in the laboratory. With these models, we have made important discoveries, including a method for countering a common genetic mutation that often leads to drug-resistant cancers and identification of a possible new avenue for treating certain lung cancers.

News Faculty

Salk Institute launches collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

May 9, 2023

New combination of drugs works together to reduce lung tumors in mice

March 17, 2023

Salk scientists receive 2022 Mark Foundation Endeavor Award to study lung cancer

March 11, 2022

Two therapeutic targets identified for deadly lung cancer

July 26, 2019

Unlocking therapies for hard-to-treat lung cancers

July 24, 2019

Susan Kaech, PhD

Professor and Director

NOMIS Center for Immunobiology and Microbial Pathogenesis

Clodagh O’Shea, PhD

Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory

Alan Saghatelian, PhD

Professor

Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology

Reuben Shaw, PhD

Professor

Molecular and Cell Biology Laboratory

Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, a fact highlighted in recent years by the deaths of well-known figures such as Steve Jobs and Patrick Swayze. According to the National Institutes of Health, about 46,000 people are diagnosed in the United States each year and about 40,000 die from the disease. Pancreatic cancer is notoriously resistant to therapy, partly because the tumors grow encased in a thick layer of protective tissue. At Salk, we are working on methods to collapse the barrier of cells shielding pancreatic tumors. With this and other lines of research, we are making this seemingly impenetrable cancer much more susceptible to therapeutic drugs.

News Faculty

Salk Cancer Center

Salk Institute for Biological Studies - Cancer - Overview

Overview

Research