The Ben May Department for Cancer Research

"Discovery is Our Business"

The Ben May Department for Cancer Research was formally established in 1951 with funds provided by Alabama businessman and philanthropist Ben May. The work done by the collection of laboratories within the Ben May Department for Cancer Research has advanced cancer treatment by providing answers to fundamental biological questions and by finding applications for groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Proceeds from the Grand Auction have traditionally supported the Ben May Department for Cancer Research, particularly in the critical area of faculty recruitment.

Dr. Charles Huggins became the first Director of the Ben May Department for Cancer Research, a position he would hold until 1969. During his tenure as Director, he declared the priority of the department to be basic research, stating that “Discovery is our business.” He urged his colleagues, students, and post-doctoral fellows to “make damn good discoveries.” Dr. Huggins' groundbreaking efforts to understand the basis for hormonal regulation of cancer cell growth and differentiation remain an important part of the department's research program.

Additionally, there are strong programs in cell signaling, growth regulation and development, programmed cell death, the biochemistry of cell differentiation and immunobiology and immunotherapy. The faculty, although small, strives for academic achievement and scholarly distinction and continues to recruit new scientists through the generous support of the Ben May Charitable Trust, the University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation Women's Board, the Cyrus Tang Foundation and the Biological Sciences Division.

The Ben May Department for Cancer Research faculty have been the recipients of several prestigious awards, hold leadership positions in national and international organizations, are leaders in education and hold a number of important editorial positions. Ben May Department faculty members hold important academic and administrative positions within The University of Chicago. Dr. Rosner is Director of the Ben May Department for Cancer Research, the Charles B. Huggins Professor in the BMICR and Deputy Director of the Cancer Research Center.

The faculty focuses on specific areas of cancer biology while orchestrating fertile collaborations with university colleagues and those around the globe. The work that emerges from the department has widespread application by identifying the building blocks within a cancer that determine the life or death of that cell. While many of the faculty's research activities address very fundamental biological questions, several clinical applications have evolved from this basic research. The knowledge gained from these studies has important implications for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of various types of cancers.

In June 2005, the Ben May Department moved into its new home, the Center for Integrative Sciences. The building is designed to encourage collaboration and the sharing of ideas among researchers – biological and physical scientists working in fields ranging from condensed-matter physics to synthetic chemistry to complexity theory. The researchers will devote themselves to developing high-impact projects of extraordinary complexity that overflow the boundaries separating individual disciplines.

"Every advance in treatment in the war against cancer, from surgical removal of tumors to chemotherapy to prescription cancer medications like tamoxifen, has its origin in basic scientific research. High quality scientific research leads to discovery, and discovery leads to new treatments and eventually to cures. The Ben May Department for Cancer Research continues its longstanding dedication to the pursuit of fundamental scientific research and discovery."
-Marsha Rosner, Ph.D.

Ben May Department for Cancer Research