We are a cancer biology lab with a research focus on 1. Brain tumors and 2. Extrachromosomal oncogene DNA amplification. In particular, we study the process of tumor evolution and therapy resistance. We use high-throughput sequencing, computational analysis and functional studies in our research.
Thesis defense Bianca Marin
Bianca Marin, who is enrolled in the MD/PhD program at UConn Health, successfully defended her dissertation titled Molecular Mechanisms of Glioblastoma Initiation and Progression. Her committee members were highly impressed by her oral defense as well as her thesis and Bianca has now completed all PhD requirements for the program. Congratulations, Bianca, we will miss you!
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Paper - single-cell transcriptomics to evaluate an experimental brain tumor therapy
A collaboration with the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, a research institute affiliated with Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ, resulted in a new publication in Neuro-Oncology.
Kevin Johnson, PhD, together with Ivy co-authors led by Drs. Nader Sanai, Shwetal Mehta, An-Chi Tien and others, reported results of a Phase 0/1 clinical trial combining two targeted drugs ribociclib (CDK4/6 inhibitor) and everolimus (mTOR inhibitor) in recurrent high-grade glioma patients, aiming to identify brain-penetrant combinations and assess their impact on malignant cell states.
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Publication: lentiviral transduction selectively depletes cells with ecDNA
In a new publication in Cancer Research Communications, Eunhee Yi, PhD, and co-authors report the surprising observation that lentiviral transduction results in diminished numbers of ecDNA-containing cells. Lentiviral transduction is a method commonly used to genetically engineer cells. When transducing heterogeneous mixtures of ecDNA(+) and ecDNA(-) cells, Eunhee observed that ecDNA(-) appeared to have a selective advantage. In fact, multiple rounds of lentiviral transduction completely removed ecDNA(+) cells. This project was a collaboration with the Cancer Grand Challenges eDynamic team.
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Collaborative papers refining the cellular architecture of glioblastoma - Nature Genetics
The Verhaak lab participated in the GBM Cellular Analysis of Resistance and Evolution (CARE) consortium, together with the labs of Itay Tirosh, Mario Suva, Antonio Iavarone and Anna Lasorella, which set out to use single-cell transcriptomics and refine the cellular architecture of glioblastoma. The Consortium profiled multiple tumors from a large cohort of patients (n = 59), enabling both defining the foundational landscape of glioblastoma cell states as well as to show how these cell states enable glioblastomas to adapt to therapy. The results of the Consortium were described in two publications in Nature Genetics (paper 1 and paper 2). This work was co-led by Kevin Johnson.
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Now closed: postdoc opportunity - join our team!
The Verhaak lab in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine is looking to recruit a postdoctoral associate who will help us develop new therapeutic approaches to treat patients with (brain) cancer. The ideal candidate has experience with functional interrogation of cell line models via genetic engineering approaches, drug delivery systems, and cancer biology. Previous work with high-throughput approaches is desirable. First author peer-reviewed papers are required.
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