MAJOR THERAPEUTIC AREAS

• ONCOLOGY
  Cellular and clinical oncology; hematologic and gynecologic malignancies; solid tumors; non-small cell lung cancer;  prostate, breast, endometrial, and colon cancer; head and neck cancer; tumor microenvironment; novel cancer therapies; telomerase inhibitors and activators; stromal-epithelial interactions and cell signaling; organotypic models of tumor development; animal models of cancer, including human tumor xenografts, syngeneic models, and genetically engineered (transgenic) models.

• BIOLOGICS & BIOTECHNOLOGY
  TNF-alpha inhibitors; monoclonal antibodies; PEGylated and liposomal drug delivery; recombinant therapeutic proteins and vaccines; candidates for vaccine development; novel therapeutics; 3-D tissue reconstruction, biomatrices for cellular and tissue engineering; cytoskeleton-based therapeutics; biophotonics and microscopy in drug discovery; role of genomics, proteomics in translational and individualized medicine.
  

• RESPIRATORY & ALLERGIC DISEASE
  Asthma; allergy, including seasonal allergic rhinitis; H1/H2 receptor antagonists; inhaled corticosteroids, corticosteroid pills; bronchodilators; leukotriene receptor agonists and theophylline; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

• CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND AUTOIMMUNITY
  Rheumatoid arthritis; psoriatic arthritis; psoriasis; osteoarthritis; Crohn's disease; ankylosing spondylitis; atopic dermatitis; Sjogren's syndrome.
  

• STEM CELLS
  Theory, cell culture technology, and emerging therapeutic applications; adult vs. embryonic vs. umbilical cord-derived stem cell origins; the cancer stem cell hypothesis and its controversy; novel imaging approaches to monitor stem cell differentiation and/or integration into tissue.

• INFECTIOUS DISEASE & ANTI-INFECTIVES
  Opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients; lipid-based delivery systems for antifungal therapy; tuberculosis;hepatitis;HIV-1 mutagenesis; anti-viral therapies; nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors; anthrax; avian influenza A H5N1;cytomegalovirus (CMV).

• TRANSPLANTATION
  Bone marrow transplantation, stem cell transplantation, solid organ transplantation; immunocompromised hosts; xenotransplantation; implantation or infusion of cells and tissue.

• SKELETAL MAINTENANCE
  Bone health and bone remodeling; effects of chemotherapy on bone health; tumor-induced osteolysis; bisphosphonates; RANK signaling pathway inhibitors as therapeutic strategy to prevent bone degradation; osteoporosis

• WOMEN'S HEALTH
  Physiology and treatment issues of endometriosis; heart, bone, and reproductive health; menopause; human steroid hormone receptors (estrogen, progesterone); mechanisms of human infertility; assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF; human embryo implantation, fetal development and birth defects.

• CARDIOVASCULAR
  Genetic links of endothelial inflammation to coronary artery disease and vascular disease; angiogenesis; inflammation as a key pathogenetic mechanism in atherosclerosis; endothelial cell phenotypes in heart, lung, and blood disease; endothelial function in response to ischemia; inflammatory markers for cardiovascular disease (selectins, cytokines, acute-phase reactants).