Faculty
Faculty members in the Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis are affiliated with the Genetics and Epigenetics Graduate Program of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. The majority of department faculty are also actively involved with the Center for Cancer Epigenetics (CCE), a group of scientists interested in epigenetic research that includes researchers from both MD Anderson and across the Texas Medical Center.
Faculty Members
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, including epigenetically targeted agents, to treat refractory disease for the most challenging pediatric cancers
• Defining how modifiable behaviors (e.g. diet, exercise, tobacco use) affect pediatric cancer outcomes and quality of life in survivorship
• Deploying clinical interventions to change modfiable behaviors, such as developing novel web-based resources
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 and Chair 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
Associate 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 Abhinav Jain, Ph.D., Co-Director Epigenomics Profiling Core
Cancer Epigenetics - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
• Comparative genomics to identify and delineate functions of long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer
• Defining the function of readers of histone post-translational modifications in cancer
• Discovering previously unknown 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 three-dimensional image reconstruction
• Spatiotemporal relationships at the cellular and molecular level (intravital, time-lapse, FRET, FRAP)
• UVA-laser microirradiation induced DNA damage and dynamics of DNA repair processes
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
Associate 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
• Bioinformatics approaches for answering biological questions using next-generation sequencing
• Genomic, transcriptomic and epigenomic changes in cancer
• New computational algorithms and statistical models for analyzing 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., Assistant Dean GSBS - 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 combined with large-scale computational genomics to define genetic and epigenetic changes contributing to cancer heterogeneity and immunity
• Functional characterization of genetic and epigenetic changes in cancer models
• Identifiying 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
• Defining mechanisms of epigenetic regulation in leukemia and lymphoma to develop new cancer therapies
Professor 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
Assistant 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
Additional Faculty Members
- Qin Chen, M.D., Assistant Professor, Cheng Laboratory
- John R. Horton, Ph.D., (GSBS Profile) Associate Professor, Cheng Laboratory
- Evangelia Koutelou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Dent Laboratory
- Swarnalatha Manickavinayaham, Ph.D., Instructor, Johnson/Bedford Laboratories
- Leilei Shi, Ph.D., Instructor, Bedford Laboratory
- Yunxiang Mu, Ph.D., Instructor, McBride Laboratory
- Xing Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Cheng Laboratory
Adjunct Faculty Members
- Cherilynn R. Shadding, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Diversity, Career Development, and Alumni Affairs, MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School
- Kei-ichi Takata, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Section Head, Chemical and Cancer Biology Branch, IBS Center for Genomic Integrity, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)
- Karen Vasquez, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin