Physicians and scientists at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) believe that to improve cancer treatments, they have to think both small and big.

Thinking small. Understanding cancer from its beginnings at a genetic and cellular level will allow us to create safer, more effective treatments. At HCI, we “translate” our newest, most relevant laboratory discoveries into information that physicians and patients can use in cancer treatment and prevention.

Thinking big. Another HCI goal is to find undiscovered genes that help explain cancers in families with a strong history of the disease. Increased knowledge about inherited cancer risk has already led to improvements in cancer screening, prevention, and treatment—both in these families and in the general population.

Housed and managed by HCI, the Utah Population Database is the largest, most comprehensive genetics database in the world. This resource allows our scientists to analyze inheritance patterns of cancers in multiple generations of large families. Studies of these families have already produced discoveries of gene mutations responsible for colon cancer, breast and ovarian cancers, and melanoma.

Thinking HCI. HCI has a world-class research reputation; for example:

• Our scientists, including 2007 Nobel Prize winner Mario Capecchi, are internationally renowned for their breakthroughs in transgenic cancer research.
• More cancer genes have been identified by HCI scientists than at any other institute.
• HCI houses and manages the Utah Population Database, the largest, most comprehensive genetics database in the world.
• As a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers, HCI is dedicated to research that improves the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of cancer care.
• HCI is the only National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center in the Intermountain West. Nearly two-thirds of the research funding that NCI grants goes to investigators affiliated with Cancer Centers.

HCI also includes an informatics group focused on efficient collection, organization, and analysis of the large amount of data that researchers use to achieve their goals.

Our collaborative approach that emphasizes genetic understanding of cancer makes HCI one of the leading cancer research organizations in the United States. Research, with the goal of improving cancer treatment and prevention, is at the heart of Huntsman Cancer Institute.