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| Identification and Molecular Programming of Cell Phenotypes in Cancer
Oxygen is fundamental to life on Earth. In diseases affecting the vasculature including cancer, abberrant hypoxic response is a critical part of the disease. Limited oxygen can lead to more aggressive tumors; on the other hand, appropriate manipulation of proteins involved in cellular hypoxic response can help halt cancer's progression. A challenge lies in understanding the complex cellular response to hypoxia both across different cancers and across patients with the detail needed to develop effective therapies. In this presentation, I will share how we are developing and integrating methods in mathematical modeling, machine learning, molecular biology, and microscopy image analysis to tackle the challenge of interpreting how changes at the molecular level affect cellular response and cancer progression. Results of our analyses have identified (1) molecular signatures of leukemia that predict patient outcome and (2) a set of unique vascular cell phenotypes. My lab's goal is to use this computational systems biology approach to understand cellular response to oxygen, and apply this knowledge to drive the development of new therapeutic strategies. |
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