Epigenetic Balance in Transcription and Cancer
Precise control of gene expression requires a dynamic balance between transcriptionally active and repressive chromatin states. Our laboratory investigates how epigenetic regulators establish and maintain this balance, and how its disruption contributes to cancer development. A major focus of our research is to understand how the BAP1 deubiquitinase complex and Polycomb repressive complexes establish opposing chromatin activities that balance gene activation and repression, thereby controlling transcriptional programs and cell identity.
Exploiting Lineage-Specific Dependencies for Cancer Therapy
Despite sharing common oncogenic alterations, cancer cells can adopt remarkably distinct lineage identities that create unique dependencies and therapeutic vulnerabilities. Our laboratory uses genome-wide CRISPR screening and integrated genomic and epigenomic approaches to systematically identify lineage-specific essential factors and determine how they establish and maintain cancer cell identity and exploit these dependencies for therapeutic intervention.
