Dr. Balmain’s laboratory uses crosses between highly genetically divergent strains of mice to explore the genetic basis of cancer susceptibility. His group has identified several of the somatic genetic events involved in initiation or progression of cancers induced by exposure to chemical mutagens or radiation. Recent emphasis is on computational approaches to the analysis of gene expression architecture in normal tissues and cancers from the same animals, as a route to unraveling the complex networks that underlie cancer susceptibility.