Department: Stanford Cancer Institute

Clinical investigation in Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas and cutaneous lymphomas. Experimental therapeutics with novel chemotherapy and biologically targeted therapies. The research program is highly collaborative with radiation oncology, industry, pathology and dermatology.

My research is focused on attaining a better understanding of the initiation, maintenance, and progression of lymphoid tumors, and their response to immunochemotherapy toward improving current treatment strategies. In this effort, I employ tools from functional genomics, computational biology, molecular genetics, and mouse models. I hope to apply this knowledge towards the design of clinical trials in the treatment of patients with lymphoma, leukemia, and myeloma.

I refer you to my web page for detailed list of interests, projects and publications. In addition to pressing the link here, you can search "Russ Altman" on http://www.google.com/

Teaching & clinical interests include: Supervision, training, and mentoring of postdoctoral fellows and residents; consultation. Brief and long-term therapy: CBT, IPT, mood regulation & psychodynamic approaches.

Research interest in utilizing post-transplant adoptive cellular immunotherapy to reduce GVHD and relapse in patients with high risk hematologic malignancies.

Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that protect chromosome ends and shorten with cell division and aging. We are interested in how telomere shortening influences cancer, stem cell function and genomic stability. Telomerase is a reverse transcriptase that synthesizes telomere repeats and is expressed in stem cells and in cancer. We have found that telomerase also regulates stem cells and we are pursuing the function of telomerase through diverse genetic and biochemical approaches.

Our laboratory investigates the pathogenesis of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection, focusing on the functional roles of particular viral gene products in pathogenesis and virus-cell interactions in differentiated human cells in humans and in Scid-hu mouse models of VZV cell tropisms in vivo, and the immunobiology of VZV infections.

Our research is aimed at defining the pathways of p53-mediated apoptosis and tumor suppression, using a combination of biochemical, cell biological, and mouse genetic approaches. Our strategy is to start by generating hypotheses about p53 mechanisms of action using primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs), and then to test them using gene targeting technology in the mouse.

Genetic and cell biological analyses of signals controlling cell polarity and morphogenesis. Frizzled signaling and cytoskeletal organization.

Biophysical mechanisms of host defense peptides and their mimics

Applications of computer graphics to medical imaging, with emphasis on diagnosis of bowel pathology using virtual colonoscopy. Dynamic joint imaging with open Magnetic Resonance Imaging system.

Dr. Bejerano, co-discoverer of ultraconserved elements, studies the Human Genome. Through computation and experimentation we investigate the Systems Biology parts-list of many thousands genomic regions involved in gene transcription regulation during embryonic development. Major interests include (1) the origins and evolution of these regions, (2) how they encode their individual as well as combined roles, (3) their contribute to human disease, and (4) their contribute to species adaptation.

1. Role of the G protein coupled receptors in regulating mitochondrial structure and function. 2. Differences between R and L ventricular responses to stress, including gene expression and miR regulation. 3. Using iPSC-derived myocytes to understand heart failure and congenital heart disease. 4. Tools for evaluation of cardiac physiology in transgenic mice and isolated cardiomyocytes. 5. Anti-body mediated rejection. 6. Biomarkers for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.

Studies on apoptotic cell death in vivo using the H MRS phenomenon.

Prof. Helen Blau's research area is regenerative medicine with a focus on stem cells. Her research on nuclear reprogramming and demonstrating the plasticity of cell fate using cell fusion is well known and her laboratory has also pioneered the design of biomaterials to mimic the in vivo microenvironment and direct stem cell fate. Current findings are leading to more efficient iPS generation, cell based therapies by dedifferentiation a la newts, and discovery of novel molecules and therapies.

Use of medical informatics to improve quality delivery in cancer care

Inner ear microendoscopy -- Developing techniques for minimally-invasive imaging of inner ear microanatomy and neural pysiology. Applications include improved cochlear implant development, inner ear regenerative techniques, inner ear surgery, and auditory physiology. Microsurgical robotics -- Developing scalable microsurgical instrumentation and robotic techniques for use in head and neck surgery. Surgical Simulation -- Immersive environment for temporal bone surgical simulation.

Our lab uses chemical, biochemical, and cell biological methods to study protease function in human disease. Projects include: 1) Design and synthesis of novel chemical probes for each of the primary protease families. 2) Understanding the role of proteolysis in the life cycle of the human parasites, Plasmodium falciparum and Toxoplasma gondii. 3) Defining the specific functional roles of proteases during the process of tumorogenesis. 4) In vivo imaging of protease activity

We are intereseted in the interaction between the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and its mammalian host. We use a combination of molecular and genetic tools to understand how this obligate intracellular parasite can invade almost any cell it encounters, how it co-opts a host cell once inside and how it evades the immune response to produce a life-long, persistent infection.

Research interests: ocular pathology, host-pathogen interactions in infectious disease, infectious disease in frogs, phenotypic characterization of tg and ko mice, histopathology of minimally-invasive radiological ablation techniques (focused ultrasound, cryoablation).

Regulation of expression of oncogenes in normal and malignant hematologic cells.

We use genomic approaches to identify disease biomarkers. We are most interested in translating biomarkers into clinical practice in urological diseases with a particular focus in cancer.

Dr. Brown's research group uses diverse experimental and computational methods to investigate the logic and mechanisms that control a genome's expression program. The Brown laboratory is systematically characterizing the genetic scripts that control the expression of our genes, in normal development and physiology and in diseases like cancer, with a particular focus on post-transcriptional regulation. The Brown lab also develops strategies and assays for early detection and diagnosis of cancer.

We seek to understand the mechanisms responsible for the resistance of cancers to treatment and to develop strategies to overcome these resistances. We are using molecular and cellular techniques and mouse models to potentiate the activity of radiation on tumors by inhibiting the bone marrow rescue of the tumor vasculature following therapy.

Our lab studies the molecular basis of longevity. We are interested in the mechanism of action of known longevity genes, including FOXO and SIRT, in the mammalian nervous system. We are particularly interested in the role of these longevity genes in neural stem cells. We are also discovering novel genes and processes involved in aging using two short-lived model systems, the invertebrate C. elegans and an extremely short-lived vertebrate, the African killifish N. furzeri.

Our interests include: 1) The physiology and significance of lymphocyte homing in local and systemic immunity; 2) biochemical and genetic studies of molecules that direct leukocyte recruitment; 3) cellular and molecular genetic studies of leukocyte chemotaxis and the role of chemokines; 4) vascular differentiation in normal and pathologic inflammatory states; 5) systems and chemical biology approaches to understanding the regulation of lymphocyte trafficking programs.

Our laboratory's goal is to address fundamental and therapeutic questions in immunology using innovative nanotechnological and biophysical approaches to visualize and manipulate cells. Our primary focus is on understanding the molecular controls that balance T cell activation versus tolerance. The ultimate aim of our work is to manipulate T cell signaling pathways to control immunologically-mediated diseases.

The Butte Lab at Stanford builds and applies tools that convert more than 300 billion points of molecular, clinical, and epidemiological data -- measured by researchers and clinicians over the past decade -- into diagnostics, therapeutics, and new insights into disease.

Clinical investigations in breast cancer include institutional and NSABP studies of chemoprevention, adjuvant therapy, psychosocial interventions, treatment of metastatic disease, methods of decreasing anthracycline cardiotoxicity, and modulation of multidrug resistance. Research in meta-analysis includes the performance of meta-analysis in a wide variety of settings in cancer treatment by the international Meta-Analysis Group in Cancer.

Molecular mechanisms of intestinal cell growth control; function and regulation of the Src family of tyrosine kinases in normal cells, and their deregulation in cancer cells.

Our current studies focus on aging and skin cancers in human beings and are translational in nature: 1) genetics and epigenetics to promote healthy aging of the skin 2) genetics and epigenetics of skin cancers and drug resistance 3) novel therapies to promote healthy aging of the skin 4) novel therapies for non-melanoma skin cancers 5) induced pluripotent stem cells for regenerative and therapeutic purposes

Clinical research includes studies in the treatment of cerebrovascular disorders, such as aneurysms and AVMs, as well as the use of radiosurgery to treat tumors and vascular malformations of the brain and spine. Dr. Chang is C0-Director of the Cyberknife Radiosurgery Program. Dr. Chang is also the head of the The Stanford Neuromolecular Innovation Program with the goal of developing new technologies to improve the diagnosis and treatment of patients affected by neurological conditions.

Dr. Chang's research interests and activities include: • The etiology of virus-associated malignancies, including Hodgkin lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma • The etiologic role of immune-related risk factors in cancer, especially lymphoid malignancies • The prevention of hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma • Racial/ethnic disparities in cancer incidence and survival, particularly among Asians and Asian Americans

Our research is focused on how the activities of hundreds or even thousands of genes (gene parties) are coordinated to achieve biological meaning. We have pioneered methods to predict, dissect, and control large-scale gene regulatory programs; these methods have provided insights into human development, cancer, and aging.

Our laboratory combines synthetic chemistry and developmental biology to investigate the molecular events that regulate embryonic patterning, tissue regeneration, and tumorigenesis. We are currently using genetic and small-molecule approaches to study the molecular mechanisms of Hedgehog signaling, and we are developing chemical technologies to perturb and observe the genetic programs that underlie vertebrate development.

We are dedicated to develop multifunctional molecular probes for multimodality imaging and bioconjugates for target-specific drug delivery. The research tools include bioconjugation chemistry, radiochemistry (PET/SPECT), nanotechnology, and stem cell biology.

We study the genetic networks controlled by regulatory RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), and currently focus on two complementary aspects of miRNA biology: (1) The roles of miRNAs in modulating the development, function, and pathogenesis of vertebrate immune systems and (2) the mechanisms by which these regulatory RNAs control gene expression.

The use of molecular and molecular cytogenetic methods to identify chromosomal abnormalities in acquired and congenital disorders.

Dr. Cheung's research interests focus on liver diseases, with emphasis on viral hepatitis. His past research include investigating the mechanism of viral neutralization of hepatitis B virus at the molecular level and immune response to hepatitis C virus. Dr. Cheung is studing various aspects of hepatitis C, both clinical and translational research.

Contribution of T cells to immunocompetence and autoimmunity; how the immune system clears infection, avoids autoimmunity and how infection impacts on the development of immune responses.

Our laboratory focuses on understanding how cells respond to DNA damage. Our research currently involves areas that interact with each other: repair of radiation damage, and transcriptional responses to DNA damage.

Our lab is interested in understanding molecular processes that underlie aging and age-associated pathologies in mammals. We focus on a family of genes, the SIRTs, which regulate stress resistance and lifespan in lower organisms such as yeast, worms, and flies. In mammals, we recently uncovered a number of ways in which SIRT factors may contribute to cellular and organismal aging by regulating resistance to various forms of stress. We have now begun to characterize the molecular mechanisms b..

Renal cell carcinoma and prostate cancer outcomes research and epidemiology.

The use of genetic, biochemical and chemical approaches to understand the DNA damage-induced cell cycle checkpoints and the processes that contribute to maintenance of genomic stability.

Dr. Clarke’s research efforts are centered in five areas: 1) the epidemiology of breast cancer, 2) the epidemiology of lymphoid malignancies 3) immunologic and viral causes of malignancy, and 4) cancer surveillance and creative uses of and ways to visually display cancer surveillance data (e.g, SEER, cancer registry data) and more recently, 5) internet-based, patient-centric methods for recruitment and data collection in epidemiologic studies.

Dr. Michael F. Clarke is the Associate Director of the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. In addition to his clinical duties in the division of Oncology, Dr. Clarke maintains a laboratory focused on two areas of research: i) the control of self-renewal of normal stem cells and their malignant counterparts; and ii) the identification and characterization of cancer stem cells. A central issue in stem cell biology is to understand the mechanisms that regulate self-renewa..