Research Description: We study transcriptional regulation in normal and cancer cells. Research in the laboratory is focused squarely on understanding how the oncoprotein transcription factor MYC works and how it can be targeted for therapeutic effect in cancer cells.

The term “MYC” refers to a family of three related oncogenes that are broadly over-expressed in cancer and contribute to an estimated 100,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States alone. MYC proteins function as transcriptional regulators, controlling the expression of thousands of genes linked to cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and genomic instability. MYC proteins are highly-validated but challenging drug targets for cancer therapy. Our work seeks to expose basic mechanisms of MYC action that can lead to new strategies to target MYC in the clinic. We study interactions of MYC with chromatin regulators in multiple cancer contexts, and collaborate to develop small molecule inhibitors of one particular chromatin-associated MYC co-factor, WDR5, and to explore their utility as anti-cancer agents.