Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB)

The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT received funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in March 2009 to become a Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB). These centers are part of NCI’s Integrative Cancer Biology Program (ICBP), which is the NCI’s primary effort in cancer systems biology, a field that is rapidly seen as an essential component in the future of cancer research.

These centers represent a unique multidisciplinary union of outstanding scientists and clinicians who will work to unravel the complexities of cancer through the novel application of technology and mathematical modeling.

In addition to the funding received by MIT, 10 other outstanding centers nationwide will share NCI’s commitment to this area of research. Selection of MIT as part of NCI’s Integrative Cancer Biology Program underscores and reflects the Institute’s leadership within the community. These new centers and the research that evolves from them should enable scientists to gain a better understanding, and therefore better treatment and prevention, for the disease.

This approach to cancer research is made possible by advances in technology and computational modeling. These centers will not only explore new insights in the areas of cancer systems biology, but will generate computational and mathematical models for application in the lab and the clinic. The centers will work closely with all aspects of the research community and rely heavily on data and insight from other prominent NCI efforts.