Research interests

We are mainly interested in the following areas:

1. Dissecting intra-tumoral heterogeneity by single cell sequencing

  A number of new technologies have been developed in the past few years to profile the transcriptome, genome, and epigenome of single cells. This presents for an unprecedented opportunity to detect subtle differences between cancer cells in the same patient, a phenomenon known as intra-tumoral heterogeneity. Currently, we are implementing a variety of ultra high-throughput single cell sequencing technologies to define the number and dynamic changes of cancer cell types in leukemia, with the aim of deconvoluting the cause of drug resistance against chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

2. Oncogene-dependent epigenome remodeling

  The cancer genome provides the blueprint for identifying oncogenic mutations driving tumor growth and these mutant proteins and pathways are the targets for precision cancer therapies. However, many oncogenes are capable of reprogramming the landscape of active portion of the genome, commonly known as the epigenome. Our recent work has found that certain epigenetic changes in cancers are mechanistically linked to the activity of oncogenic mutations, and that understanding the downstream consequences of this may provide previously unsuspected and valuable targets for therapy. Molecular dissection of the epigenome may identify oncogene-induced, actionable vulnerabilities, broadening the spectrum of precision oncology treatments.