The Salk Cancer Center at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies was established in 1970 and received its NCI designation in 1973. Today, the center includes 31 faculty members, and more than 500 students, postdoctoral fellows, and technical staff work in Salk Cancer Center labs. The center’s mission is to understand fundamental aspects of biology related to cancer; accelerate translation of groundbreaking discoveries into clinical opportunities for diagnostics and therapeutics; develop innovative tools and technologies to better treat, diagnose, and prevent cancer; and train the next generation of cancer scientific leadership. The organization and membership of the Salk Cancer Center promotes interdisciplinary research and offers a unique training environment for cancer researchers due to the diverse backgrounds and interests of the faculty and trainees.
Discoveries at the Salk Cancer Center have spurred collaborative partnerships with other NCI-Designated Cancer Centers (Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center and University of California San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center), nonprofit institutes (Translational Genomics Research Institute, or TGen), philanthropic foundations (Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer), and pharmacology firms (Merck) to translate promising laboratory discoveries into lifesaving treatments for patients with cancer.
In addition to research, the center has an active program of graduate and postdoctoral education and training. The Salk Institute and the University of California San Diego’s Division of Biology conduct a joint graduate program.
Salk Institute
Director
La Jolla, CA 92037
Deputy Director, Research Administration