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Texas  Lester & Sue Smith Breast Center not shown on screen
Breast Cancer Research  A major goal of the Lester and Sue Smith
Breast Center is to eliminate breast cancer as a disease of
public health proportions. In order to make further progress we
need to have a better understanding of the environmental
influences, as well as the genes which contribute to breast
cancer development and aggressiveness. A better understanding of
the molecular pathways controlling important cellular events,
such as cell survival, cell proliferation, differentiation and
apoptosis is also crucial. Finally, the role of supporting
tissues in the tumor, such as stromal components, myoepithelium,
and angiogenesis is important. To increase our knowledge of the
biology of breast cancer, the center has established a research
agenda that covers a broad array of important research areas.
Normal mammary gland development  An understanding of factors
which regulate growth and