Basic Research at Stanford
Stanford University is one of the premier research-oriented universities in the world. Below are listed a few examples of the breakthroughs in cancer research that have occurred as a result of the unique environment at Stanford.
1967 First synthesis of biologically active DNA in test tube
1980 First creation of human hybridoma cell line
1981 First report of successful use of monoclonal antibodies to treat cancer
1988 Isolation of pure hematopoietic stem cells from mice
1992 Development of a genetically engineered vaccine to enhance patients’ immunological response against B-cell lymphoma
1995 Development of the microarray technology that allows researchers to see at once which genes of the thousands present in a cell are switched “on”
1996 Discovery that the p53 protein, known to be involved in controlling cancerous tumors, works as an “emergency brake” on cancer development
1996 Discovery that mutations in a single gene are responsible for the most common form of skin cancer in humans
1997 Completion of a multicenter trial showing that standard chemotherapy for most children with early-stage non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be safely reduced
2000 First use of gene expression profiling to distinguish cancer sub-types
2002 First use of RNAi to switch off genes in mice
2003 Discovery that Wnt genes, first discovered as critical genes in cancer, are also critical regulators of stem cell development
Research within the medical school is organized in specific departments as well as through interdepartmental programs. Some of the programs that have faculty with research interests related to cancer are listed below:
Biochemistry
Bioengineering
Chemical and Systems Biology
Developmental Biology
Genetics
Medicine
- Department Home
- Blood and Marrow Transplantation
- Oncology
- Stanford Center for Biomedical Informatics Research
- Biomedical Informatics (BMI) Training Program
