Molecular Medicine Research Labs
Our Molecular Medicine researchers seek to understand the molecular mechanisms behind critical cellular responses to ionizing radiation (including DNA repair, cellular proliferation, and inflammation), as well as to develop biological markers that predict how an individual may respond. Their research encompasses several areas of investigation, including radiation resistance and radiation sensitization, DNA double-strand break repair, prognostic markers for therapeutic outcomes, biology of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and space radiation biology.
- Understand factors that influence immune heterogeneity in the tumor microenvironment
- Investigate mechanisms of immune privilege that can enhance immunotherapy efficacy
- Explore tolerogenic and immunogenic mechanisms activated by radiation
- Molecular mechanisms of endocrine therapy- and CDK 4/6 inhibitor-resistance in breast cancer
- Targeting epigenetic pathways to overcome treatment resistance in breast cancer
- New therapeutic approaches to mitigate radiation-induced heart disease
- Radio-immunotherapy in cancer prevention and treatment
- Molecular understanding of the pathophysiology of Werner Syndrome
- Heart damage associated with radiotherapy and space radiation
- Cancer metabolism
- Innate immunity
- Mitochondria signaling
- Cellular response to DNA damage
- The role of aberrant DNA repair and signaling in cancer etiology
- The role of the DNA-PK complex in repairing DNA damage
- Innate and adaptive immune responses generated by tumor irradiation with stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SAbR)
- Investigate strategies to combine immunotherapy with SAbR (i-SAbR) for cancer treatment
- Improve cancer patient treatment outcome through the design of i-SAbR clinical trials
- The role of DAB2IP in chromosome stability
- Developing physiologically relevant tumor models that improve preclinical predictions and translational success
- Developing drug delivery system using nanoparticles
Wang Lab
- Nanomedicine approaches to improve cancer treatment, including radiation therapy and immunotherapy
- Development of novel cancer diagnostics and therapeutics using biomedical engineering approaches
- Understand cancer metastasis biology by applying tissue engineering technologies
- Development of novel therapeutic approaches to treat autoimmune diseases
- Structural biology of cancer-associated proteins
- Drug development for cancer therapy
- Biochemistry and chemical biology
- Metabolic regulation of radiation response
- Harnessing radiation insight to prevent heterotopic ossification
- Targeting immuno-metabolism to halt lung cancer progression