In 1973, The Salk Cancer Center received a National Cancer Institute comprehensive cancer center designation. it was one of the first two centers to receive this designation when the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was formed.

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 backgrounds and interests of the faculty and trainees.