Hector L. Franco, PhD

Associate Professor, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dr. Franco has an enduring interest in understanding how the human genome works and how genes become deregulated in breast and ovarian cancer. His lab, within UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, employs state-of-the-art genome sequencing techniques to understand how the human genome works and how genes become deregulated in cancer. The goal is to understand how cancer cells rewire basic mechanisms of gene expression to drive tumor biology and response to therapy with the intention of highlighting novel avenues for therapeutic intervention. On a personal note, Dr. Franco is a former NCAA Scholar Athlete majoring in molecular biology while also being an integral component of the Florida Tech varsity soccer team. To this day, Dr. Franco leans into the lessons learned through sports like dedication, teamwork, perseverance, and endurance, to drive his most ambitious cancer research goals. Thus, the mission of the V Foundation and the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund resonates deeply within him.


“I am of course a cancer researcher from an underrepresented background, but also, I was an NCAA Collegiate Athlete as an undergraduate student. I was on a Soccer Scholarship at Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech) while also majoring in molecular biology! This was 20 years ago, but sports is a very important component of my life and thus the mission of the V Foundation and the Stuart Scott Memorial Fund resonates deeply with me.”

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