Our laboratory is interested in the mechanisms by which tumor suppressor gene expression is controlled in colon cancer cells. Particularly, we focus on the role played by Histone deacetylases (HDACs), which are a large family of transcriptional co-repressors. Inhibitors of HDACs (HDACi) induce growth arrest, differentiation and apoptosis in colon cancer and other cell lines, and are presently undergoing clinical trial for treatment of colon cancer. The focus of our research is to understand the role specific HDACs play in colon cancer progression using in vitro cell line systems as well as transgenic and knockout mouse models. We also investigate the molecular and biochemical mechanisms by which HDAC inhibitors induce growth arrest, differentiation and apoptosis in colon cancer cells.

A separate focus of our laboratory is the development and application of high throughput genomic technologies such as gene expression profiling, methylation profiling and mutation screening to understand the mechanisms of drug action, and to identify molecular signatures predictive of chemotherapeutic drug response.