Investigating mechanisms of bladder tumorigenesis and therapeutic resistance

Division Of Basic Sciences - Nci

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Our lab mines multi-omics data of bladder cancer available through The Cancer Genome Atlas, Sequence Read Archive, dbGAP, etc. We are in the process of performing whole-genome and whole-transcriptome sequencing of bladder tumors - treatment-naive and neoadjuvant from diverse ancestries, through collaborations. Through these studies we also aim to address disparities associated with prognosis and disease outcomes of bladder cancer in African Americans and women. We have begun functional testing of some specific hypotheses based on computational analysis of tumor -omics data. We are using cell lines and are planning to generate organoids, mouse models, and ex vivo tumor cultures for further explorations. Specially, we are performing CRISPR-I screen to identify target genes of non-coding mutations found in bladder tumors and are establishing syngeneic mouse tumor models for exploring role of APOBECs and RNA sensors in modulating tumor micro-environment. Our ultimate goal is to identify new druggable targets and biomarkers for response and resistance to therapies and survival in patients with cancer.