My current research work includes a few DOD and NCI supported work. for DOD supported prostate cancer study, we are interested in probing the bone mets microenvironment in CRPC animal model to define novel therapeutic approaches that can be potentially used for CRPC patients. In particular, we will test a few combination of drugs targeting immune suppressive cells as well as Tregs in order to achieve therapeutic responses. in the future, we will explore various omics approaches to further delineate the complexity of the bone mets tumor microenvironment with the goal to identify therapeutic approaches for CRPC patients.
In NCI sponsored GBM study, we aim to target the macrophage population by blocking their recruitment to GBM or by polarizing M2 macrophages to achieve therapeutic efficacy. We will further aim to develop novel combination therapy in the setting of recurrent GBM using the knowledge gained in the current funded study. We have recently also developed v3EGFR GBM model and will test the hypothesis that normalizing v3EGFR induced tumor microenvironment may be an useful approach for this difficult to treat disease.
In a joint RO1 grant with Chun Li at MD Anderson, we aim to test novel combination therapy targeting MDSC in response to irreversible electroporation in pancreatic cancer. We have further established animal model for liver mets, that have frequently been observed in pancreatic cancer patients, but an understudied area. again, various omics approaches will be used to explored the complexity of PDAC liver mets with the hope to identify novel therapy.
In a to be funded NCI RO1 grant, we have identified a novel gene KDM5D that promote liver metastasis in male patients that is also Kras driven. We have established animal model for KDM5D and established in vivo evidence for KDM5D effect. more detailed molecular mechanisms will be explored. KDM5D targeting drugs will be developed and tested in our animal models for potential clinical utility.
We have recently also explored synthetic lethality to target key tumor suppressor genes, including Pten and APC. We have performed bioinformatic analysis and identified potential target genes in a number of cancer types.
We have developed a bioinformatic pipeline to define potential resistance mechanisms for immune checkpoint inhibition through a network approach. We have established a few targeted CRISPR libraries for several cancer types and will perform in vivo screening to identify interesting target to pursue in the near future.
At Brown Center, we have also great interest to identify novel cancer antigens that can be potentially targeted by various cellular immunotherapy technology. Various omics combinations will be explored with the goal to develop therapeutic agents for cancer patients.
Ph.D. - Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 06/1995
