Faculty & Staff

Junjie Chen, Ph.D. (Chairman)

Research Interests:

• New components involved in DNA damage pathways
• Molecular mechanisms of genomic instability and tumorigenesis
• Tumor-suppressing qualities of the mitotic checkpoint protein Chrf
• The role of the protein deacetylase SIRT1 in aging and tumorigenesis

Boyi Gan, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

Our lab studies the roles of nutrient sensing and energy metabolism in cancer. Our current research efforts aim to study  

(1) the role of energy sensor AMPK and FoxO as well as their associated long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in energy sensing and tumor metabolism;

(2) the crosstalk between cancer metabolism and epigenetics by focusing on two tumor suppressors in kidney cancer BAP1 and BAF180. 

Khandan Keyomarsi

Research Insterests:

• The role of cyclin E in breast and salivary tumorigenesis
• Generating transgenic mice to determine the requirement of LMW cyclin E for tumor maintenance and recurrence
• Identifying potential LMW-E/CDK2 substrates on a proteome-wide scale that could serve as targets for treatment of triple negative breast cancer
• Identifying the salivary gland-specific cyclin E-associated kinase that drives cyclin E-induced salivary gland cancer

Lei Li, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

• Molecular mechanisms of DNA damage repair and cell cycle checkpoint mechanisms
• How DNA damage is sensed and transduced into checkpoint signals
• Interaction of chromatin remodeling mechanisms with DNA repair and damage checkpoint pathways
• Repair of DNA interstrand cross-links, as many chemotherapy agents are bifunctional DNA cross-linkers
• Molecular mechanisms of Fanconi anemia

Li Ma, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

• Understand regulation of tumor invasion, metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by non-coding RNAs
• Dissecting the role of miR-10b in malignant progression using genetically engineered mouse models
  
• Identifying the functional targets of metastasis-promoting miRNAs
  
• Identifying and characterizing new epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-regulating miRNA
• Identifying lncRNAs that regulate EMT and metastasis
  
  

Pawel Mazur, Ph.D.

Mazur Laboratory

Pancreatic cancer research in the MD Anderson Mazur Lab focuses on guiding clinical drug development for precision medicine clinical trials

Marvin L. Meistrich, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

• The effects of radiation and chemotherapy on male germ cells

Raymond B. Meyn, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

• Molecular targeted agents combined with radiotherapy
• The role of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in governing tumor cell response to radiation

Jae-il Park, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

• Studying Wnt pathways in cancer cells, embryonic stem cells, frog   embryogenesis, mouse intestine and skin
• Regulation of telomerase in regeneration and disease

Park Laboratory

The goal of our research program is to understand how tissue stem cells and self-renewing tumor cells contribute to tissue regeneration and tumorigenesis. Our comprehensive research approaches include genetically engineered mouse models, organoids, cell biology and molecular biology.

Helen Piwnica-Worms, Ph.D.

Piwnica-Worms (Helen) Laboratory

The Piwnica-Worms Laboratory studies how mammalian cells regulate their division cycles, how DNA damage induces cell death or cell cycle arrest and how cancer cells derail these regulatory pathways. Our ultimate goal is to use this information to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We have translated our basic science discoveries in the form of Phase I clinical trials.

Elizabeth L. Travis, Ph.D.

Research Interests:

• Normal tissue complications of cancer treatments
• The genetic basis of radiation induced pulmonary fibrosis
• Mechanisms of radiation-induced alveolitis
• Protection and mitigation of radiation injury in normal tissues