Multiple facets of the natural trajectory of glioma remain poorly understood, which results in a universally poor prognosis for patients with glioma. Many patients with glioma experience tumor-associated epilepsy (TAE) throughout their disease course, but the mechanism by which TAE occurs, who is at continued risk for TAE, and whether...
Cancer remains a leading cause of death worldwide, necessitating continued study to explore and unravel its complex etiology. For example, there has been a shift of focus in cancer treatment from surgery and radiotherapy to targeted chemo- and immunotherapies as we gain more knowledge on the hallmarks of cancer (e.g.,...
Fat represents an important source of energy for ovarian cancer (OC) cells and is supplied either through import from the tumor milieu or via de novo lipogenesis. During fast tumor growth, when nutrients are scarce, lipogenesis becomes the primary source of fatty acids. Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), a rate-limiting enzyme in...
RAS is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes in cancer with ~30% of all human tumors harboring a mutation in either HRAS, NRAS, or KRAS isoforms. Despite countless efforts for the development of small molecule inhibitors for RAS, it remains an elusive target in the clinic. Here I demonstrate...
Tissue-infiltrating neutrophils (polymorphonuclear neutrophils [PMNs]) are a prominent feature of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC), where these immune cells can promote cytotoxicity or exacerbate disease outcomes. We recently showed that in acute colon injury, PMNs can increase DNA double-strand break (DSB) burden and promote genomic instability via...
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive disease, affecting children and adults. Chemotherapy regimens show high response rates but have debilitating effects and carry risk of relapse. Until now, no targeted therapy has been approved. In addition, 40% of patients will relapse and their treatment options are limited because...
Mammalian transcriptional regulation is well-known to be complex and highly context dependent. Different genetic and epigenetic features, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that function as cis- or trans-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), transcription factor (TF) interaction profile with cis-regulatory elements (CREs), methylation of CpG dinucleotide sequences, and histone modification that...
Background: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is among the most frequently reported adverse events during and following cancer treatment. Between 17% to 75% of chemotherapy-treated cancer patients evidence long-term cognitive deficits as many as 20 years after treatment. The variability in prevalence and the mechanisms of persistent CRCI are not well...
Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 in 700 births annually in the United States. It is caused by trisomy of chromosome 21, and is characterized by dysmorphic features and congenital abnormalities. Although children with DS have a decreased risk of developing solid tumors, they have an increased risk of acquiring...
Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) tumors are the most malignant brain cancers and are characterized as Grade IV astrocytomas by the World Health Organization. GBM tumors can be classified into three molecular subtypes known as proneural, classical, and mesenchymal. In addition, GBM tumors also have a small population of cells known as...
