Faculty

Professor C. Marcelo Aldaz, M.D., Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Cancer Genomics and Cancer Chemoprevention

•    Role of WWOX the FRA16D chromosomal fragile site gene in cancer and neurodegeneration
•    Identification and characterization of drivers of breast cancer initiation and progression
•    Cancer chemoprevention strategies in preclinical models

Professor Blaine Bartholomew, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodelers in Cancer - Laboratory Site

•    Structure and function of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers, especially in pluripotency, development, and cancer
•    Approaches to examine gene expression, chromatin structure, and genomic long-range interactions
•    Role of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers in non-coding RNA synthesis
•    Replication independent chromatin assembly and reorganization

Professor Mark Bedford, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Director, Protein Array and Analysis Core - PAAC
Arginine Methylation and Cancer - Laboratory Site

•    Arginine methylation, an epigenetic modification
•    Mouse models of altered arginine methyltransferase (PRMT) expression
•    Transcriptome studies (RNA-seq, ChIP-seq) in altered PRMT expression environments
•    Using state-of-the-art microarrays to screen for proteins that recognize post-translational modifications 

Professor Fernando Benavides, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.L.A.M.
Director Laboratory Animal Genetic Services - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile

•    Positional cloning (forward genetics) and phenotyping of spontaneous mouse mutations
•    Spontaneous mutations influencing skin and hair follicle biology
•    New animal models of cancer
•    Genetic quality control of laboratory rodents (background characterization, speed congenics)

Associate Professor Shawn Bratton, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Apoptosis and Autophagy - Laboratory Site

•    Regulation of caspases, inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins, and IAP antagonists
•    Mechanisms of TRAIL resistance in prostate cancer
•    Novel roles of BCL2 family members in heat shock-induced apoptosis
•    Biochemistry of autophagy and its role in prostate cancer

Professor Joya Chandra, Ph.D. (Pediatrics-Research, Joint Appointment) - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Translational Pediatric Oncology; Epigenetic Vulnerabilities in Pediatric Cancers - Laboratory Site

•    Small molecule strategies and epigenetic agents for treating refractory disease in the most challenging pediatric cancers
•    How modifiable behaviors (e.g. diet, exercise, tobacco use) affect pediatric cancer outcomes and survivor quality of life
•    Implementing clinical interventions, e.g. novel web-based resources, to change modfiable behaviors

Professor Taiping Chen, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Epigenetics and Development - Laboratory Site

•    Cross-talk between DNA methylation and histone modifications
•    DNA methylation and histone modifications in embryogenesis, gametogenesis, and stem cell functions
•    Epigenetic dysregulation in developmental disorders and cancer

Professor Xiaodong Cheng, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Epigenetic Modifications to DNA and Histones; Structural Biology - Laboratory Site

•     Readers, writers and erasers of epigenetic modifications to DNA and histones 
•     Cross-talk and interplay between epigenetic modifications on DNA and histones
•     Rational design of inhibitors of epigenetic enzymes
•     Transcription factors in recognizing DNA modifications        

Associate Professor Francesca Cole, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
DNA Repair by Homologous Recombination - Laboratory Site

•    Meiotic recombination mechanisms in mice and humans
•    Chromosome organization and dynamics in meiosis
•    Relationships between alternate DNA repair pathways
•    Chromosome segregation fidelity in the germ line

Professor Sharon Y. R. Dent, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Cancer Epigenetics - Laboratory Site

•    Functions of chromatin modifying enzymes focused on histone acetyltransferases and ubiquitn-specific proteases, in normal cells and in disease
•    Epigenetic changes regulating stem cell identity, cell differentiation and tumorigenesis
•    Changes in post-translational modifications in histones and other proteins involved in neural development and neurodegeneration

Professor Marcos Estécio, Ph.D., Co-Director Epigenomics Profiling Core
Cancer Epigenetics - Faculty Profile

•    Origin and function of DNA methylation in cancer
•    Cross-talk between genetic and epigenetic events in colorectal carcinomas
•    Function of chromodomain helicase DNA binding interactions
•    Epigenomics Profiling Core: gene-specific and genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation

Assistant Professor Charles A. Ishak, Ph.D.
Repetitive DNA Elements & Viral Mimicry in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Therapy 
Laboratory Site

•    Repetitive elements and viral mimicry in cancer initiation and immune evasion 
•    Repetitive elements and viral mimicry in tumor suppression and cellular homeostasis 
•    Epigenetic mechanisms of repetitive element regulation in somatic cells 
•    Repetitive element RNA and proteins as therapeutic targets for cancer interception and immunotherapy 
 

Associate Professor Abhinav Jain, Ph.D., Co-Director Epigenomics Profiling Core
Cancer Epigenetics - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile

•    Comparative genomics and long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer
•    Functions of readers of histone post-translational modifications in cancer
•    New co-regulators of ER-transcriptional activity in breast cancer
•    Transcriptome profiling  to illuminate functions of tumor suppressor p53 

Assistant Professor Collene Jeter, Ph.D.
Interim Director, Advanced Microscopy Core, Co-Director and Confocal Manager, Flow Cytometry and Cellular Imaging Core - Faculty Profile

•    High resolution multispectral confocal and SIM super-resolution imaging
•    Multiphoton and lightsheet volume imaging and 3-D image reconstruction
•    Cellular and molecular level spatiotemporal relationships (intravital & time-lapse imaging, FRET, FRAP)
•    UVA-laser microirradiation-induced DNA damage/DNA repair dynamics

Professor David Johnson, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Epigenetics, DNA Repair and Cancer 

•    Mouse models of E2F transcription factors in cancer development
•    Regulation of E2F1 function by post-translational modifications
•    Transcription-independent functions of E2F1 in DNA repair

Professor Bin Liu, Ph.D. 
Bioinformatics Service - GSBS Profile - Faculty Profile

•    Bioinformatics 
•    Cancer genomics
•    Integrative genomic studies

Associate Professor Yue Lu, Ph.D. 
Bioinformatics Service - Faculty Profile

•    Bioinformatic approaches for analysis of next-generation sequencing
•    Genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in cancer
•    New computational algorithms and statistical models for high-throughput sequencing data

Associate Professor Kevin McBride, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Programmed DNA Damage and Immune System Diversity - Laboratory Site
Director, Recombinant Antibody Production Core - RAPC 

•    Mechanisms of antibody diversification
•    Host-pathogen interactions between B cells and gammaherpes viruses
•    Role of B cells in immunotherapy response
•    Recombinant antibody cloning and production

Professor Ellen Richie, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile  -  GSBS Profile
Thymus Development and Homeostasis

•    Role of thymic epithelial cells (TECs) in T cell development and selection
•    TEC dynamics and lineage relationships in the perinatal thymus
•    Molecular mechanisms regulating age-associated thymus involution and reduced naïve T cell output

Associate Professor Nidhi Sahni, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Systems Biology of Human Cancer

•    Machine/deep learning and artificial intelligence models to predict gene regulatory network alterations in disease
•    High-throughput experiments and large-scale computational genomics to define genetic/epigenetic changes affecting cancer heterogeneity and immunity 
•    Functional characterization of genetic/epigenetic changes in cancer models
•    Identifying new biomarkers and therapeutic targets to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer

Associate Professor Margarida A. A. Santos, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile 
Blood Cancers, Epigenetic Regulators, and DNA Damage Response - Laboratory Site

•    Epigenetic regulation of transcription in normal and cancer cells
•    Role of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) in malignant cell differentiation
•    Interplay between chromatin modification and DNA damage response
•    Mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in leukemia and lymphoma for new cancer therapy development

Associate Professor Angela H. Ting, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile
DNA Methylation and Cancer - Laboratory Site

•    Technical and computational tools for assessing global DNA methylation  
•    Novel and clinically relevant functions for DNA methylation
•    Defining the mechanics of DNA methylation in cancer
•    GenitoUrinary Development Molecular Anatomy Project (GUDMAP) Atlas development

Professor and Interim Chair, Richard Wood, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
DNA Polymerases and DNA Repair - Laboratory Site

•    Role and mechanism of DNA polymerase theta (POLQ) in DNA repair
•    DNA interstrand cross-link repair
•    Importance of DNA polymerase zeta in UV damage response and cell proliferation

Associate Professor Han Xu, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Computational and Systems Biology - Laboratory Site

•    CRISPR-based genetic and epigenetic editing
•    Computational design and analysis of high-throughput genetic screens
•    Bioinformatic approaches for understanding transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory networks