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 Houston 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. | Graduate School Faculty 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodelers in Cancer | Bartholomew Laboratory
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Arginine Methylation and Cancer | Bedford Laboratory
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Director, Laboratory Animal Genetic Services
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Apoptosis and Autophagy | Bratton Laboratory
• 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) | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Translational Pediatric Oncology; Epigenetic Vulnerabilities in Pediatric Cancers | Chandra Laboratory
• 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 modifiable behaviors
Professor Taiping Chen, Ph.D. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Epigenetics and Development | Chen Laboratory
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Epigenetic Modifications to DNA and Histones; Structural Biology | Cheng Laboratory
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
DNA Repair by Homologous Recombination | Cole Laboratory
• 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 Emerita Sharon Y.R. Dent, Ph.D.
Cancer Epigenetics
• Functions of chromatin modifying enzymes
• 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
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Repetitive DNA Elements & Viral Mimicry in Tumorigenesis and Cancer Therapy | Ishak Laboratory
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Co-Director, Epigenomics Profiling Core
Cancer Epigenetics
• 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
Associate Professor Collene Jeter, Ph.D.
Director, Advanced Microscopy Core
• 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 Bin Liu, Ph.D. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Bioinformatics Service
• Bioinformatics
• Cancer genomics
• Integrative genomic studies
Professor Yue Lu, Ph.D.
Bioinformatics Service
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Programmed DNA Damage and Immune System Diversity | McBride Laboratory
Recombinant Antibody Production & Creation
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Thymus Development and Homeostasis; Director, Flow Cytometry - EMC
• 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 Margarida A. A. Santos, Ph.D. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Blood Cancers, Epigenetic Regulators and DNA Damage Response | Santos Laboratory
• 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 & Chair Ad Interim Angela H. Ting, Ph.D. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
DNA Methylation and Cancer | Ting Laboratory
• 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 Richard Wood, Ph.D. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
DNA Polymerases and DNA Repair | Wood Laboratory
• 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. | Graduate School Faculty Profile
Computational and Systems Biology | Xu Laboratory
• 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., Associate Professor (Cheng Laboratory)
- Evangelia Koutelou, Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Ting Laboratory)
- Yuzhen Li, Ph.D., Instructor (Wood Laboratory)
- Yalong Wang, Ph.D., Instructor (Bedford Laboratory)
- Xing Zhang, Ph.D., Associate Professor (Cheng Laboratory)
Adjunct Faculty Members
- Cherilynn R. Shadding, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Graduate Education, MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
- Karen Vasquez, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin