Bio
Our lab is interested in translational science to bring new therapies to clinical trials. In particular, we are interested in pediatric sarcomas which have not had advancement in clinical treatment for decades. Current projects in the lab focus on understanding of the biology of fusion transcription factor PAX3::FOXO1 which is the driver mutation in fusion positive rhabdomyosarcoma. PAX3::FOXO1 is a powerful oncogenic transcription factor which rewires the transcriptional organization to lock the cancer cell in the proliferative state. Since transcription factors including PAX3::FOXO1 are difficult to target using small molecules, we aim to understand how PAX3::FOXO1 is regulated and targeting the regulators of PAX3::FOXO1. By understanding and targeting the regulation of PAX3::FOXO1, we hope to bring new therapies for fusion positive rhabdomyosarcoma. Additionally, these regulatory mechanisms may also be active in other transcription driven cancers such as the EWSR1::FLI1 driven Ewings Sarcoma.
Our lab is also interested in exploring the epigenetic landscape of pediatric solid tumors and trying to understand how dysregulation in the epigenome drives oncogenesis. We utilize various CRISPR mediated genetic techniques to interrogate the regulators of epigenome focusing on the histone lysine demethylases (KDMs). KDMs are an understudied group of epigenetic regulators which can be targeted for therapeutic effect. We explore the role of KDMs in pediatric solid tumors and hope to identify potential targets for drug development.
