Systematic Profiling and Analysis of Global Gene Expression Programs in Human Cancer
Researchers are pursuing the systematic analysis of human cancers and their subtypes with the goal of establishing a complete understanding of the gene expression patterns and regulatory mechanisms that govern each cancer’s behavior.
By refining the taxonomy of human cancer, this work is helping to improve current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies and is providing the basis for more customized treatment planning.
Topics under investigation include:
- Molecular variations across breast, lung, prostate, pancreatic, kidney, stomach, ovary and testicular cancer as well as lymphoma, leukemia, glioblastoma and sarcomas
- Gene-expression responses of normal and cancer cells to diverse molecular signals such as growth factors, morphogens, hormones, cytokines, chemokines, and ECM molecules, and the phenotypic responses of cells to these signals.
- Ex vivo microculture models and their effectiveness in defining gene expression for distinct regulatory programs in human cancers, in prediciting the activity of these programs in vivo and in facilitating the development of targeted therapies
- The diversity and tissue distribution of fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, which play a role in the microenvironment of normal and cancer cells
- Gene expression in the “wound-healing” response as a predictor of metastasis and progression for many human cancers
- Alterations in gene expression following the exposure of cultured cells to candidate preventative agents for cancer to understand their mechanisms of action
- Comparative analysis of the gene expression profiles and molecular phenotypes of breast cancers in patients of different ethnicities and nationalities
- Gene expression and molecular phenotypes behind the pathogenesis of lymphatic vascular insufficiency, a serious complication of cancer and cancer therapy
- The interplay between genomic instability and selective pressures as a fundamental aspect of the molecular pathogenesis of cancer
- A transcriptional response profile that predicts risk for adverse reactions to radiation therapy
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