Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis Faculty
Professor C. Marcelo Aldaz, M.D., Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Breast Cancer Genomics
• Role of WWOX the FRA16D chromosomal fragile site gene in cancer and human disease
• Identification and characterization of drivers of breast cancer initiation and progression
• Biomarkers of translational relevance in breast cancer
• Comparative breast cancer genomics and preclinical model development
• Located at Science Park
Professor Blaine Bartholomew, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodelers in Cancer - Laboratory Site
• Role of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers in development and cancer
• Approaches to examine gene expression, chromatin structure, and genomic long-range interactions
• Structure and function of ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers
• Dynamics of chromatin, replication independent chromatin assembly and reorganization
• Located at Science Park
Chromatin, Epigenetics and Cancer - Laboratory Site
• Chromatin structure and function
• The p53 tumor suppressor protein
• The E3 ubiquitin ligase and histone reader TRIM24
• Embryonic stem cells, liver regeneration and breast cancer
• Located in Houston
Professor Mark Bedford, Ph.D., Director PAAC - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Epigenetics 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
• Protein Array and Analysis Core (PAAC): microarrays to screen for protein- post-translational modification interactions
• Located at Science Park
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)
• Located at Science Park
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
• Located at Science Park
Associate Professor Joya Chandra, Ph.D. (Joint Appointment) - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Oxidative Environment of Cancer Cells - Laboratory Site
• Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in normal and cancer cells
• Therapeutic strategies exploiting ROS to eliminate cancer cells
• ROS in pediatric blood and brain cancers
• Modulation of ROS by diet and exercise to improve cancer therapy and survivorship
• Located in Houston
Professor Taiping Chen, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Epigenetics and Development - Laboratory Site
• Crosstalk 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
• Located at Science Park
Professor Lezlee Coghlan, D.V.M., M.S.
Director Animal Resources - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
• Animal models of early epithelial cancers
• Novel imaging technologies to identify early epithelial cancers
• Infectious and parasitic diseases of rodents
• Managing animal resources
• Located at Science Park
DNA Repair by Homologous Recombination - Laboratory Site
• Regulation of homologous recombination in vivo
• Mechanisms underlying germ line mutagenesis
• Relationships between alternate repair pathways during meiosis
• Therapeutic strategies to perturb alternate repair pathways in cancer
• Located at Science Park
Professor and Chair Sharon Y. R. Dent, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Cancer Epigenetics - Laboratory Site
• Chromatin modifying enzymes - histone acetyltransferases, histone deacetylases and ubiquitn specific proteases in normal cells and in disease
• Cross-talk between methylation, acetylation and phosphorylation on histones and non-histone proteins
• Epigenetic changes regulating stem cell identity, cell differentiation and tumorigenesis
• Changes in post-translational modifications in histones and other proteins involved in neurodegeneration
• Located at Science Park
Cancer Epigenetics - Faculty Profile
• Origin and function of DNA methylation in cancer
• Cross-talk between genetic and epigenetic events in colorectal carcinomas
• Function of the nuclear lamina in gene regulation
• DNA Methylation Analysis Core: Gene specific and genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation
• Located in Houston
Assistant Professor Collene Jeter, Ph.D.
Co-Director Flow Cytometry and Cellular Imaging Core, Confocal Manager - Faculty Profile
• High resolution multispectral confocal imaging
• Volume imaging and three-dimensional image reconstruction
• Spatiotemporal relationships at the cellular and molecular level (time-lapse, FRET, FRAP)
• UVA-laser microirradiation induced DNA damage and dynamics of DNA repair processes
• Located at Science Park
Cancer Epigenetics - Faculty Profile
•Transcriptome profiling to illuminate functions of tumor suppressor p53 in human embryonic stem cells
•Comparative genomics to identify and delineate functions of long-non coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer
•Readers of histone post-translational modifications and cancer epigenetics
•High-Throughput ChIP-Seq Resource: Innovative, cost-effective high-throughput technologies for ChIP and library preparation
•Located in Houston
Professor David Johnson, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Epigenetics, DNA Repair and Cancer - Laboratory Site
• 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
• The RB Tumor suppressor-E2F1 pathway in liver carcinogenesis
• Located at Science Park
Associate Professor Bin Liu, Ph.D.
Bioinformatics Service - Faculty Profile
• Bioinformatics
• Cancer genomics
• Integrative genomic studies
• Located at Science Park
Assistant 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
• Located at Science Park
Programmed DNA Damage and Immune System Diversity - Laboratory Site
• How the mutator enzyme Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID) functions in antibody diversification and B-cell oncogenesis
• Programmed DNA damage, DNA methylation and epigenetic reprogramming during development
• Gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis and impact on B-cell development
• Recombinant antibody cloning and production
• Located at Science Park
Thymus Development and Homeostasis
• Role of thymic epithelial cells in regulating T-cell development and T-cell receptor repertoire selection
• Molecular pathways that commit embryonic endodermal progenitors to a thymic epithelial fate
• Regulation of thymus organogenesis, homeostasis and involution
• Therapeutic strategies for regenerating a functional thymus after age- or stress-induced involution
• Located at Science Park
Assistant Professor Nidhi Sahni, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Systems Biology of Human Cancer
• Genetic and epigenetic influences on cancer and immune system heterogeneity
• Computational genomics; identification of driver mutations via CRISPR screens
• Functional characterization of genetic and epigenetic changes in cancer cell models
• Identification of new cancer biomarkers and drug targets
• Located at Science Park
Assistant Professor Margarida Almeida Santos, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
DNA Damage and Epigenetics in Cancer Stem Cells - Laboratory Site
• DNA damage response and chromatin modifications in cancer stem cells
• Mouse models of MLL-fusion leukemias with perturbations in DNA damage response and epigenetic regulation
• DNA damage and epigenetic targeted therapies for MLL-rearranged leukemias
• Located in Houston
Associate Professor Manu Sebastian, D.V.M., Ph.D., D.A.C.V.P., D.A.B.T., D.A.C.L.A.M.
Director Research Histology, Pathology and Imaging Core - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
• Phenotypic evaluation of genetically engineered mice for cancer and other diseases
• In vivo evaluation of cancer therapeutics for efficacy
• In vivo evaluation of cancer therapeutics for safety and regulatory approval
• Tissue biomarkers for monitoring efficacy and safety of cancer therapeutics
• Located at Science Park
Professor Jianjun Shen, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Director Molecular Biology Resource Center and Next-Generation Sequencing Facility
• Manager of a CPRIT funded next-generation sequencing (NGS) facility
• Molecular, proteomic and genomic approaches to study cancer and other diseases
• Biomarkers for early cancer detection
• Obesity associated pancreatic cancer risk
• Located at Science Park
Associate Professor Xuetong "Snow" Shen, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Chromatin Remodelers and Eukaryotic Chromatin - Laboratory Site
• ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers and histone modification
• DNA damage response
• Cancer epigenetics
• Role of nuclear actin – from basic mechanisms to human diseases
• Located at Science Park
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
• Located at Science Park
Assistant Professor Han Xu, Ph.D. - Faculty Profile - GSBS Profile
Computational and Systems Biology
• CRISPR-based genetic and epigenetic perturbation screens
• Machine-learning and statistical algorithms for the design and analysis of high-throughput biological experiments
• Transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory networks
• Located at Science Park
Additional Faculty
- Donghang Cheng, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Bedford Laboratory
- Evangelia Koutelou, Ph.D., Instructor, Dent Laboratory
- Swarnalatha Manickavinayaham, Ph.D., Instructor, Johnson Laboratory
- Yunxiang Mu, Ph.D., Instructor, McBride Laboratory
- Maciej Zelazowski, Ph.D., Instructor, Cole Laboratory
Adjunct Faculty
- Karen Vasquez, Ph.D., Division of Pharmacology and Toxicolgy, University of Texas at Austin