Welcome to TAP!

The discovery, development and translation of therapeutics is crucial for the advancement of clinical practice. Excitingly, innovative therapeutic strategies continue to emerge as the era of precision medicine becomes a clinical reality and we, the Therapeutics and Pharmacology (TAP) Program at the MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, are proud to be at the forefront of expanding the boundaries of therapeutic knowledge.

Our mission is to serve as a network for scientists-in-training that promotes the communication, application and translation of emerging concepts that fall under the broad spectrum of therapeutics. These concepts include (i) exploiting vulnerabilities in cancer biology, (ii) modulating/disrupting genetic & epigenetic mechanisms, (iii) developing immunotherapies, (iv) applying computational and medicinal chemistry strategies for rational drug design, (v) harnessing nuclear medicine for drug development – to name a few. Our program is uniquely designed to potentiate students from a variety of backgrounds with diverse career goals that are interested in translational research. As a result, our students and faculty are particularly focused on taking discoveries across all areas of the basic sciences from “bench-to-bedside.” To achieve this, our students receive a solid background in the principles and mechanisms of therapeutics along with hands-on training in the laboratory of their choice. Importantly, TAP is designed to center around the objectives of the trainee by allowing coursework customization and facilitating access to industry internships.

Overall, we are a tight-knit community with student-led initiatives to socialize and collaborate with peers and scholars across a wide variety of disciplines. Furthermore, we provide students valuable resources for professional development and finding careers in their desired fields. With our unique emphasis on translational research, we train students to be prime candidates for positions within academia, government, pharmaceutical industries, and intellectual property protection. The benefits of our training platform are reflected in our proud alumni who have gone on to pursue successful careers in sectors ranging from biotechnology to regulatory affairs.

Announcements

TAP student, Rolando Vedia, featured inCancerwise.

Read Rolando’s articlehere.

TAP course receives 2021 Commended GSBS Course distinction

Each year, the GSBS Curriculum Committee selects a few courses for commendation from those that were subject to a recent major review. The TAP course “GS04 1103: Principles of Therapeutics” was one of three classes to be named a recipient of this year's commendation. Congratulations to Course Director, Dr. Shuxing Zhang, and Co-Director, Dr. Walter Hittelman.

Congratulations to these TAP students for their academic accomplishments during the 2021 Academic Year:

Avery Salmon
Advisor: Dr. Matthew Gubin
Recipient of the CCTS TL1 Fellowship

Mary Figueroa
Advisor: Dr. Joya Chandra
的2021 - 2022Schissler Foundation Fellowship

2021 TAP Student Council

The mission of the TAP Student Council is to cultivate community within the TAP program. The Student council represents the perspectives and concerns of the student body by providing a variety of events, activities, programs, outreaches, and services to enliven, encourage, and mobilize the TAP community.

	Mary Figueroa Student Council Chair
	Rolando Vedia Student Council Assistant Chair
	Lon Fong Student Council Project Coordinator
	Servando Hernandez Vargas Student Council Project Coordinator
	Sharvari Dharmaiah Student Council Project Coordinator
	Cheryl Jiang Student Council Outreach Coordinator
	Luisa Orlando Student Council Student Life Coordinator

Contact Us

	William Plunkett, PhD TAP Program Director Professor, Department of Experimental Therapeutics University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Tel: 713.792.3335 Email:wplunket@mdanderson.org Office: MDA 3SCR3.3418
	Shuxing Zhang, PhD TAP Program Co-Director Associate Professor, Department of Experimental Therapeutics University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Phone: 713.745.2958 Email:shuzhang@mdanderson.org Office: MDA 4SCR3.1032
	Teasha S. Barker, MHA Immunology Program Coordinator 办公室:3可控硅3.3413 Tel: 713-745-1175 Email:tsbarker@mdanderson.org

Helpful Resources

TAP Program Brochure

TAP Program Bylaws

TAP Program Newsletter