Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis Faculty

Professor C. Marcelo Aldaz, M.D., Ph.D.  - 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. - ATP-Dependent Chromatin Remodelers in Cancer

•    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

Professor Michelle Barton, Ph.D. - Chromatin, Epigenetics and Cancer

•    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, Dean GSBS, MD Anderson

Professor Mark Bedford, Ph.D. - Epigenetics and Cancer, Director PAAC

•    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., DACLAM - 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)
•    Located at Science Park

Associate Professor Shawn Bratton, Ph.D. - Apoptosis and Autophagy

•    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) - Oxidative Environment of Cancer Cells 

•    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

Associate Professor Taiping Chen, Ph.D. - Epigenetics and Development

•    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

•    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

Assistant Professor Francesca Cole, Ph.D. - DNA Repair by Homologous Recombination

•    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. - Cancer Epigenetics

•    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

Assistant Professor Marcos Estécio, Ph.D. - Cancer Epigenetics, Director DNA Methylation Analysis Core

•    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

•    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

Professor David Johnson, Ph.D. - 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
•    The RB Tumor suppressor-E2F1 pathway in liver carcinogenesis
•    Located at Science Park

Assistant Professor Yue Lu, Ph.D. - Bioinformatics

•    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

Assistant Professor Kevin McBride, Ph.D. - Programmed DNA Damage and Immune System Diversity

•    Regulation and role of the mutator enzyme Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID) 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

Professor Ellen Richie, Ph.D. - 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 Dean, GSBS

Assistant Professor Margarida Almeida Santos, Ph.D. - DNA Damage and Epigenetics in Cancer Stem Cells

•    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., DACVP, DABT, DACLAM - Director, Research Histology, Pathology and Imaging Core

•    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. - 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. - Chromatin Remodelers and Eukaryotic Chromatin

•    ATP-dependent chromatin remodelers and histone modification, DNA damge response and cancer epigenetics
•    Role of nuclear actin – from basic mechanisms to human diseases
•    Located at Science Park

Associate Professor Xiaobing Shi, Ph.D. - Cancer Epigenetics and Histone Modifications

•    Histone modifcations in transcriptional regulation and chromatin dynamics
•    Epigenetic readers of histone methylation and acetylation
•    Development of small molecule inhibitors of epigenetic readers   
•    Cancer epigenetics
•    Located in Houston 

Professor Richard Wood, Ph.D. - DNA Polymerases and DNA Repair

•    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. - 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