Jonathan Pollack

Postdoctoral Advisees

Ilona Holcomb , Stephanie Huang , Kevin Kwei

Graduate & Fellowship Program Affiliations

• Cancer Biology

Web Site Links

• http://pollacklab.stanford.edu

Research Interests

Our laboratory uses genomic approaches to systematically characterize the molecular phenotypes of tumor cells, with current efforts in leukemia, breast, prostate, lung, colon and pancreatic cancers. We have found that patterns of gene expression describe the physiologic state of tumor cells, reveal activated signal transduction pathways, and define the likely normal cell types from which tumors have arisen. Patterns of gene expression also suggest improved markers for clinical diagnosis and prognostication, which we are validating by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays. In concert, we are profiling gene expression in human cancer cell line model systems in which specific genes or pathways have been altered genetically or pharmacologically, in order to better understand the role of these pathways in oncogenesis.

We have also developed a novel use for cDNA microarrays in measuring gene copy number alteration. The amplification of oncogenes and deletion of tumor suppressor genes, the result of genetic instability, play a critical role in the development of cancer. Co-hybridizing differentially labeled tumor and normal genomic DNA (the principle of comparative genomic hybridization, or CGH) to DNA microarrays permits the high-resolution, genome-wide mapping of gene copy number changes in cancer. These array CGH analyses have led to the identification of numerous regions of recurrent gene amplification and deletion, harboring candidate oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Current efforts aim to explore the functional role and clinical significance of these gene copy number alterations in cancer.

Clinical Trials

• Biopsy of human tumors for cancer stem cell characterization: a feasibility study Recruiting
• Microarray Analysis of Gene Expression in Prostate Tissues Recruiting
• Evaluation of Pathwork Tissue of Origin (TOO) test for human malignancies Completed

Publications

• Integration of diverse microarray data types. Salari K, Pollack JR. Methods Mol Biol. 2009: 556 205-16
• Comparative genomic hybridization on spotted oligonucleotide microarrays. Kim YH, Pollack JR. Methods Mol Biol. 2009: 556 21-32
• Focal amplification and oncogene dependency of GAB2 in breast cancer. Bocanegra M, Bergamaschi A, Kim YH, Miller MA, Rajput AB, Kao J, Langerød A, Han W, Noh DY, Jeffrey SS, Huntsman DG, Børresen-Dale AL, Pollack JR. Oncogene. 2009
• Molecular profiling of breast cancer cell lines defines relevant tumor models and provides a resource for cancer gene discovery. Kao J, Salari K, Bocanegra M, Choi YL, Girard L, Gandhi J, Kwei KA, Hernandez-Boussard T, Wang P, Gazdar AF, Minna JD, Pollack JR. PLoS One. 2009; 4 (7): e6146
• DNA microarray technology. Introduction. Pollack JR, Methods Mol Biol. 2009: 556 1-6