Research Interests

• Pharmacogenetic factors that modulate response to chemotherapy
• Molecular mechanisms of cellular response to cancer chemotherapy

My lab is focused on two related topics: first, we study DNA damage sensors and their role in initiating apoptosis after chemotherapy. This work includes development of model experimental systems based on murine embryonic fibroblasts and different types of human cancer cell lines, generation and computational processing of gene expression and proteomic data following drug treatment. This project supported for three years by a grant award from NIH.

Second, as a Director of the Jayne Haines Center for Pharmacogenomics and Drug Safety, my study is concerned with the role of inherited factors that modulate drug response and cause adverse drug reactions. We characterize genetic polymorphism of drug-metabolizing enzymes and drug targets that determine variations in drug response, with the ultimate goal to predict and prevent adverse reactions to drugs in genetically predisposed patients.