Metastasis, the deadliest aspect of cancer, is notoriously resistant to treatment. The Ludwig Center at the University of Chicago is searching for new ways to take advantage of cutting-edge technologies to identify, characterize and target disseminated tumor cells, with the goal of eventually developing successful treatment or prevention strategies for metastasis.
The Chicago Center explores various aspects of cancer metastasis—the cause of some 90% of cancer-related deaths—for clues to its effective treatment. One of our current research areas focuses on the development of novel selective steroid receptor modulators and degraders to target steroid receptors, both individually and in different combinations, to more effectively prevent, treat and inhibit the metastatic spread of hormone-dependent breast and prostate cancers. Another key element of our Center’s mission is the investigation of oligometastatic disease, an intermediate state of cancer progression characterized by metastases that are limited in number and pace of formation. These investigations include studies of how microRNAs influence metastatic behavior, the immune activating and suppressing effects of radiotherapy and the harnessing of that knowledge to improve cancer therapy. By understanding the biological mechanisms that govern both the metastatic state and the host immune response to radiation, we hope to increase the number of metastatic cancer patients amenable to cure.
The Ludwig Center is housed within the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Ludwig Center at the University of Chicago
5758 South Maryland Avenue MC 9006
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. 60637
T 773 702 0817
F 773 834 7233
