Hoping to launch a cutting-edge interdisciplinary program, three science departments have proposed building a cancer center at the University.
The departments of chemistry, molecular biology and physics have joined forces to propose the center, which is "not a done deal yet," said Thomas Shenk, chair of the molecular biology department.
Shenk said he expects a decision in the next few months as to whether the project will go forward. President Shapiro, in a March 25 interview, said it was "very likely" that the center would be built.
A.J. Stewart Smith, chair of the physics department, said the center could be operational in less than five years and would be located by the Lewis Thomas Laboratory.
Shenk said it is too early to discuss specifics, such as the center's estimated cost.
The center would not be clinical, but rather focus on laboratory research. If any clinical studies were necessary, they could be conducted in collaboration with universities with medical facilities, Shenk said.
The proposal calls for about 10 faculty members to work at the center while remaining with their home departments, Smith said. More faculty members could also be affiliated with the center in a less direct way, Shenk said.
Faculty hirings
Smith added that about half of the researchers would probably come from existing University faculty while four or five others would be newly hired.
The focus on cancer was chosen because there is a wealth of new knowledge about the disease stemming from the Human Genome Project and because there are new tools to analyze that material, Shenk said.
In addition, he explained that the disease presents an opportunity for research "at the interface of the classical fields."
"All are focusing on complicated molecules that under certain conditions will come together to form biological systems – and one of those is cancer," Smith said.
Physicists' role
He also noted that physicists have been influential in designing diagnostic tools for medicine, including magnetic resonance technology.
University physicists and biologists have already begun to collaborate in areas related to cancer research, Smith said.
"This center is coming out of the fact that we have the people," he said. "They need an environment where they can work together."
Most of the teaching based on research from the center will be for graduate students, Smith said, noting that he would "bet at least some of it" would also be applicable for undergraduates.
Arnold Levine, a molecular biology professor, is expected to become the center's director. He was unavailable for comment yesterday. George McLendon, chemistry department chair, was also unavailable.
Shenk said the center "might be a paradigm for future growth in the sciences at Princeton," with its focus on interdisciplinary work.
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