Cancer and stem cell biology

Recent studies have identified a small subpopulation of cells within several cancers, termed as cancer stem cells (CSCs), play a critical role in tumor initiation, progression, and maintenance. Moreover, as CSCs remain unaffected by conventional chemo- and radio-therapy, they are predicted to be a prime cause of therapy failure and cancer recurrence. The main focus of my laboratory is to understand the origin and biology of CSCs, to understand the underlying mechanisms that regulate their stemness and drug resistance, and to develop novel strategies to target CSCs for effective treatment of cancer.