About Us
The Michigan Center for Translational Pathology (MCTP) was formed in 2007 as a focused initiative to bring basic research discoveries from molecular medicine to clinical applications for the identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer diagnosis and treatment. We have made several noteworthy discoveries that have driven cancer research forward and intend to develop these findings to advance cancer diagnostics and targeted therapies. It is our hope to explore avenues for the development of personalized medicine based upon an individual’s specific genetic abnormalities underlying the development of his/her disease.
MCTP’s overarching mission is to: 1) To establish the University of Michigan as the international leader in discovery and characterization of disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets using an integrated multi-disciplinary, systems biology approach. 2) Establish a new paradigm of bringing personalized medicine to routine clinical care through the use of high throughput sequencing. In parallel with the Michigan Medicine, MCTP also has four core components to the mission: research, education, patient care and service. Our specific goals are to:
- Discover new disease biomarkers and candidate therapeutic targets using genomic, proteomic, and bioinformatics approaches.
- Employ a systems biology perspective in characterizing the molecular alterations in human disease.
- Translate and commercialize molecular discoveries for clinical utility.
- Train future translational cancer researchers.
- Ensure the long term scientific and funding success of the MCTP.
- Translate next generation sequencing based approaches (including associated bioinformatics) for clinical use in personalized medicine.
- Transform the practice of pathology and medicine.
Under the leadership of Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan (a Howard Hughes Medical Investigator, American Cancer Society Clinical Research Professor, and member of the Institute of Medicine), we are making cutting-edge advances in cancer research that we hope to bring to clinics, improved diagnostic tools and therapies for patients.
Our multi-faceted approach draws upon the resources of Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan Department of Pathology, and collaborations with the Rogel Cancer Center, one of several comprehensive cancer centers in the nation designated by the National Cancer Institute. Our research group also is part of the Stand Up To Cancer-Prostate Cancer Foundation "Dream Team" initiative that is focused on the personalized treatment of metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer. Our collaborations extend to other institutions nationally and internationally, as well as with members of industry to help bring our research findings to practical applications by the development of new diagnostics and therapies.
We invite you to learn more about the exciting research underway at MCTP.
If you have questions or comments please visit the Contact Us page or email us at MCTP-Admin@umich.edu.
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