The Cancer Research Laboratory, established in 1951, is the focal point for cancer research on the Berkeley campus. It supports the research needs of the biological scientific community by providing the latest equipment, technical and administrative support, and training in cancer research for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. CRL enhances the Berkeley research environment by providing investigators with access to methods and technologies which are either too expensive or too specialized to be acquired by the laboratories of individual faculty.

Research Facilities
The CRL is a fluid unit acquiring new equipment and personnel to meet the latest research needs of the biological research community. It currently operates four research facilities: the Flow Cytometry Facility, the Molecular Imaging Center, the Gene Targeting Facility and Mass Spectrometer Facility. The Cancer Research Laboratory provided services to over 23 Divisions and Departments within the University as well as to research companies and hospitals.

Programs
CRL sponsors a seminar course, IDS 282 “Tumor Biology Seminar Series,” in which students, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty present and discuss their current research findings. In an effort to give student researchers an understanding of the goal of their research, at least one seminar highlights the clinical side of cancer.

CRL also sponsors the annual "CRL Distinguished Lectureship". These lectures feature prestigious researchers from other universities and the format allows interaction between the speaker and the trainees.

Training
Training for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows is supported by stipends and research funds provided by a training grant entitled "Regulatory Biology of Cancer and Growth Control" from the National Cancer Institute. The Flow Cytometry Facility is involved in the undergraduate laboratory course (MCB 150L) required for MCB Immunology majors and taken as an elective by students from several departments. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows using flow cytometry or cell sorting in their research receive individualized training in sample preparation, instrument operation and data analysis. The Molecular Imaging Center also offers training in new imaging techniques to graduate students, postdocs and senior researchers.