Studying the Epigenetics of Childhood Cancer

While rare, cancer remains a significant cause of death by disease in children. Childhood cancer is largely a genetic disease although its pattern of inheritance is not always clearly defined. These genetic mechanisms of susceptibility are the focus of research for the Cancer Genetics Program at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, Canada. Research within the Cancer Genetics Program includes identifying and studying genes associated with childhood cancer risk; analyzing molecular and cell biology pathways associated with development and progression of cancers; identifying molecules that might represent viable targets for drug therapies; and developing practical applications of genetic testing of families at risk.