Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases
Accelerating cutting-edge diagnostics and life-saving treatments
Cancer and other chronic diseases, including heart and respiratory diseases, stroke, and diabetes, have long been leading causes of death and disability in Tennessee and across the nation.
UT faculty seek to mitigate the toll of these chronic diseases on lives and the economy. Their experimental and computational studies explore interactions between cellular mechanisms, genetics, genomics, and environmental and geographical contexts. Their results inform data-driven public health policies and accelerate the development and clinical application of life-saving treatments.
UT’s Approach
In partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, UT is transforming cancer diagnostics and therapies by developing cutting-edge precision radioisotope “theranostics” from concept to clinical application. ORNL and UT are hiring experts across multiple disciplines to build a center of excellence focused on developing new targeted cancer treatments.
UT researchers are also applying computational and machine learning methods to help provide better patient outcomes. They’re radically speeding up cancer screening and staging processes, advancing our understanding of chronic kidney disease, and developing physics-informed models to improve prediction and clinical interventions for cardiac events.
UT faculty also explore the intersection of public health and the epidemiology of hypertension, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Researchers partner with clinicians, community organizations, and public health agencies to identify and predict geographical prevalence, barriers to receiving care (including time-sensitive oncology care), and support mechanisms for caregivers and patients.
State-of-the-art machine learning and collaboration facilities in the Center for Precision Health support UT’s Precision Health and Environment faculty team, focused on understanding connections between environmental conditions, social factors, and chronic diseases.
“Our big goal for the future is to figure out how to send radioactive particles specifically to the right place to treat cancer. We’re building teams of experts in simulations, computations, and experiments, and connecting with patients to push forward innovative approaches to cancer treatment. It’s essential to bring together disciplines. We want to build a strong pipeline for cancer research, from basic research to clinical trials to implementation, across Tennessee.”
— Rachel Patton McCord, Associate Professor, Biochemistry and Cellular and Molecular Biology
Highlights
Facilities & Initiatives
Computational and experimental facilities across UT and ORNL, as well as clinical and research settings at UT Medical Center, provide critical infrastructure for innovation from research labs to patient bedsides.
- AI Tennessee
- Biorepository and Integrative Genomics (BIG) Initiative
- Bredesen Center Data Science and Engineering Program
- Bredesen Center Genome Science and Technology Program
- Center for Precision Health
- Infrastructure for Scientific Applications and Advanced Computing
- Health Innovation Technology and Simulation (HITS) Laboratory
- Precision Health and Environment Cluster Hire Initiative
- UTHSC Center for Biomedical Informatics
- UT-Oak Ridge Institute Radiopharmaceutical Therapies Convergent Research Initiative
- UT One Health Initiative
Researchers
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Professor, Chemistry and Scientific Programs; Director, UT-ORII
Metabolomics, lipidomics, chemical biology, bioanalytical chemistry, biological signaling, physiology, microbiomes, diabetes, inflammation
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Assistant Professor, Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear medicine, molecular imaging, isotope production, radiochemistry, radiopharmaceutical development, cancer, targeted tracers, drug development, radiolanthanides, transition metals, small animal imaging, inorganic chemistry, biochemistry, ligand design, radiolabeling, diagnostic imaging, targeted therapy
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Heath Endowed Faculty Fellow in Business & Engineering and Associate Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Markov decision processes, dynamic programming, predictive analytics, reinforcement learning, time series analysis, anomaly detection, genomics, critical care, chronic care, emergency medicine
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Associate Professor, Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology
Chromosome structure, gene regulation, Progeria (premature aging disease), cell fate determination, nucleus structure, single cell genomics, epigenetics, DNA damage, cancer progression, migration, metastasis
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Assistant Professor, Nursing
Interactions of microbiome and human health, neurodegenerative diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, metabolomics, lipidomics, biomarker identification, personalized medicine, chronic conditions
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Assistant Professor, Public Health
Chronic disease prevention, health disparities, medically underserved populations, AI and machine learning prediction models, smart technology