Statement of Research InterestAs with many individuals, my first exposure to cancer biology was the result of interacting with a family member that had the disease. When a topic hits close to home, it is only natural to become interested in the topic and begin performing background research. My mother was diagnosed with non-Hodkins lymphoma almost ten years ago. Her prognosis was positive and she has been in remission for most of those ten years, but the impact was lasting. I became interested in the disease, and as I studied it further in undergrad and became involved in labs that pushed the science further, I slowly gravitated towards making a career out of studying the disease. What eventually solidified my research interest was not having a family member with the disease, but the fact the cancer is an almost inevitable disease, our treatment options are still very limited, and I’m not sure there is a cure waiting at the end of the tunnel. This provides opportunity for a lifelong challenge that can produce information that can make life more comfortable for others that can get this disease. It is this challenge and potential benefit to mankind that has drawn me to and kept me in the field of cancer biology.
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Where am I? |
I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Cancer Biology through the Biomedical Sciences (BIMS) graduate program with the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, VA. |
What am I doing? |
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and most deadly form of brain cancer, with a median survival of 15 months. While the role and therapeutic targeting of genes that encode proteins has been well studied in GBM initiation and progression, much less is known about non-coding transcripts that make up 98% of all transcripts. Transcribed Ultra-Conserved Regions (TUCRs) represent an understudied class of such non-coding transcripts. They are considered long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), as they contain sequences of DNA that are a minimum 200 nucleotides in length. These TUCRs are virtually identical in human, mouse, rat, chicken, and dog genomes. They are also highly resistant to mutations and are commonly seen in abnormal levels in cancer, suggesting very important functions for these molecules. We analyzed data from the Cancer Genome Atlas and found that 194 TUCRs have changed expression in GBM and 235 are associated with GBM patient survival. This study aims to be the first to investigate 131 TUCRs that are unstudied lncRNAs in GBM. We plan to study how these molecules are deregulated, what their functions are, how they work and whether they can serve as biomarkers and therapeutic targets. These proposed studies would improve our understanding of GBM malignancy and could lead to new future therapies against one of the deadliest human cancers.
My thesis work is being performed under Dr. Roger Abounader at the University of Virginia. |