Key Documents
Howard Y. Chang
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professor, Dermatology
- Member, Bio-X
- Member, Cancer Center
Contact Information
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Clinical Offices
Dermatology Clinic 900 Blake Wilbur Dr W0001 MC 5334 Stanford, CA 94305 Tel Work (650) 723-6316 Fax (650) 725-7711Practices at Stanford Hospital and Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
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Academic Offices
Administrative Contact Ray Herrman Administrative Associate Email Tel Work 650-735-7022Not for medical emergencies or patient use
Professional Snapshot
Clinical Focus
- Dermatology
Administrative Appointments
- Program Committee, Cancer Biology (2005 - present)
Honors and Awards
- Elected Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation (2009)
- Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise, Vilcek Foundation (2009)
- New Faculty Award, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (2008-2013)
- Research Scholar Award, American Cancer Society (2007-2010)
- Scholar Award, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (2006-2008)
Professional Education
| Board Certification: | Dermatology, American Board of Dermatology (2004) |
| Fellowship: | SUMC - Graduate Medical Education, CA (2004) |
| Residency: | SUMC - Graduate Medical Education, CA (2003) |
| Internship: | Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, CA USA (2001) |
| Medical Education: | Harvard Medical School, MA (2000) |
Postdoctoral Advisees
Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations
Web Site Links
Scientific Focus
Research Interests
We are interested in two fundamental questions in epithelial biology: (1) the basis of positional identities in epidermal structures throughout the body, and (2) how those signals and boundaries may be abrogated to allow cancer metastasis. Although site-specific differences in epidermal structures (such as hairs on skin) on different anatomic sites are easily appreciated and are the basis of many diagnostic and treatment strategies in skin diseases, embryologic transplantation experiments have demonstrated that it is the underlying mesenchymal stroma that dictates the epithelial fates that develop. We have begun to define the organizational and developmental principles of stromal cells based on their global gene expression programs. For example, we discovered that endothelial cell (EC) diversity is primarily dictated by the vessel size of origin, and the Notch-Hey2 and left-right polarity signaling axis help to specify artery vs. vein fate. In contrast, fibroblasts from each anatomic site exhibit systematic and characteristic differences in gene expression and retain the embryonic anatomic expression pattern of Hox genes. Fibroblasts are thus excellent candidates as the bearer of positional memory in tissues and organs.
The unanticipated diversity and precision of fibroblast differentiation suggest much richer roles for stroma cells during development and diverse disease processes. Taking advantage of the unique capacities of skin for primary cell culture, gene transfer, and tissue reconstitution of site-specific features, we are pursuing the mechanisms by which the Hox code in fibroblasts specify epidermal fates, and how the embryonic Hox code is maintained in isolated adult fibroblasts.
In contrast to the orderly acquisition of positional identities in development, cancer cells can abrogate and override the positional cues in tissues and organs as they metastasize. We discovered that one way that cancer cells may accomplish this feat is by activation...
Publications
- SIRT6 links histone H3 lysine 9 deacetylation to NF-kappaB-dependent gene expression and organismal life span. Cell. 2009; (1): 62-74
- Module map of stem cell genes guides creation of epithelial cancer stem cells. Cell Stem Cell. 2008; (4): 333-44
- A dermal HOX transcriptional program regulates site-specific epidermal fate. Genes Dev. 2008; (3): 303-7
- Functional demarcation of active and silent chromatin domains in human HOX loci by noncoding RNAs. Cell. 2007; (7): 1311-23
- Genetic regulators of large-scale transcriptional signatures in cancer. Nat Genet. 2006; (4): 421-30
