Rapidly growing detailed information on how specific genes and protein networks drive tumorigenesis creates an unprecedented wealth of opportunities for novel mechanism-based cancer therapies. Tailor-made small molecules and so-called biologics engineered at least in part from natural biomolecules (e.g. monoclonal antibodies) are playing important roles data-driven therapeutic decisions.

Noteworthy examples include antibodies that activate the immune system to eliminate cancer cells, or antibodies conjugated with small molecule drugs that can suppress specific stromal cell populations required for tumor growth. However, while such next-generation drugs hold great potential to complement or replace conventional cancer therapies, there are also important challenges. For example, targeted therapeutics can be more difficult to manufacture and to deliver to tumors than conventional drugs, and their mechanisms of action tend to be more complex. Therefore, instead of developing new targeted drugs from scratch, a cost-effective alternative is to repurpose existing drugs ones in novel combinations and by identifying novel targets. 

The goal of this focus area is to leverage the complementary expertise of cancer biologists, chemists, computational biologists and bioengineers to discover and validate novel therapeutic approaches using systems approaches for target discovery and to provide holistic pictures of drug action mechanisms. Rational design and engineering strategies such as cutting-edge computational methods and new biomaterials will accelerate the development and improve the delivery of targeted therapies to attack known or newly discovered disease mechanisms.