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Department of Oncology Science

The Department of Oncology Science seeks to provide a research home to trainees, young investigators, and national/international leaders working in the areas of cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure. We intend to achieve this through programs of excellence in research, education, outreach, and cost-effective patient care. The Department of Oncology Science is committed to facilitating interdisciplinary, collaborative, and innovative team-science to make OU Health Sciences Center a world-leader in translational cancer research.

Research Themes

The department is focused on several key areas of cancer research.

  • Signaling basis of cancer cell growth, cell death, and senescence
  • Mechanisms of chemo- and radiotherapy resistance
  • Metabolic alterations in cancer cells supporting survival under various abiotic stresses, including hypoxia, low pH, and nutrient deprivation
  • Metabolic vulnerabilities of various cancer types
  • Cancer-induced systemic organ failure, including cachexia
  • Tumor immunology, immunotherapies, and immunometabolism
  • Epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations and intratumoral heterogeneity
  • Cancer health disparity research

Department of Oncology Seminar Series

The Department of Oncology Seminar Series is focused on current and emerging areas of cancer research. The seminars are organized with the goal of educating faculty, postdocs, students, and other trainees about the latest advancements in the field and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations. 

Follow us on X @OncologyScience for upcoming seminar presentation announcements!

News and Events

The Department of Oncology Science Welcomes Dr. Je-Hyun Yoon to the Faculty!

The Department of Oncology Science Welcomes Dr. Je-Hyun Yoon to the Faculty!


Published: Monday, May 8, 2023

Dr. Pankaj Singh, PhD, and the Department of Oncology Science is pleased to announce that Dr. Je-Hyun Yoon has joined the department as an Associate Professor. Dr. Yoon has come to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center after seven years with the Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Yoon's main research interest is understanding the “RNP Code”, that is, the composition and function of RNA-binding proteins bound to RNAs, both coding and noncoding. He has contributed to efforts to characterize the assembly, composition, and function of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles, the influence of long noncoding (lnc)RNAs in translation and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and the mechanisms that determine lncRNA abundance in the cell. He is interested in elucidating the rules that govern the assembly of RBPs into RNA-containing functional complexes, the influence of signaling events that regulate RNPs, and the impact of specific RBPs and RNAs on RNP activity and ensuing gene regulation. He is specifically interested in studying the consequences of RNPs on cellular events such as proliferation, survival, senescence, aging, and age-associated human diseases such as cancer.

In his laboratory, Dr. Yoon strives to understand the role of RNPs in human physiology and in disease processes. Dr. Yoon’s current aims include NIH-funded and Department of Defense (DoD)-funded projects on 1) the alcoholic liver injury and cancer and 2) the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy studies specifically involving biochemical, molecular, and cellular mechanisms of extracellular RNA release and circular RNA biogenesis. Also, Dr. Yoon’s seeks to develop cutting edge projects on 3) Post-transcriptional RNA modifications by small peptides in energy metabolism. https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/R01-AA027532-01A1 The Yoon Lab possesses a strong track record on noncoding RNA studies including Park et al., 2021 Cell Metabolism and Lee et al., 2022 Nature Communications https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(21)00539-8; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32856-2.

Funding Opportunities