Current Research and Scholarly Interests
We are studying the transcriptional deregulation of several oncogenes in human hematologic malignancies.
Activation of c-myc in Burkitt's lymphoma: We are examining the transcriptional deregulation of the translocated c-myc gene and the silencing of the normal c-myc gene in Burkitt's lymphoma. We are looking at the c-myc promoter and regions of the immunoglobulin locus that are responsible for the deregulation of the translocated c-myc gene. Several model systems have been designed.
Activation of bcl-2 in hematologic malignancies: In lymphomas with the t(14;18) translocation, the bcl-2 gene is translocated to the immunoglobulin locus and expressed at high levels. We are studying the mechanism of activation at a molecular level in human lymphoma tissue. We have also developed a model system to determine which region of the immunoglobulin locus is responsible for the activation of the translocated bcl-2 gene.
Expression profiling in ALL: We are examining gene expression profiles in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in response to chemotherapeutic agents.
