Name: Carlo Croce
Email: carlo.croce@osumc.edu
Department: Internal Medicine - Cancer Biology & Genetics
Lab Manager/Dept Contact: Dorothee Wernicke-Jameson
Lab Manager/Dept Contact Email: dorothee.wernicke-jameson@osumc.edu
Lab Manager/Department Contact Phone: 614-292-5952
Preferred Method of Contact: Lab Manager/Dept Contact Email
Previous Mentoring: Yes (funded)
Category of research: Basic
Research Description: Dr. Carlo Croce is a physician-scientist world-renowned for his contributions involving the genes and genetic mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of human cancer. Recently, his research has been particularly focused on unveiling the role of small non-coding RNAs including microRNAs in the human cancer formation, development and progression. The studies involves in massive profiling from human cancer patients' samples, in vitro cell lines and in vivo transgenic mice in order to clarify how microRNAs contribute to human cancer pathogenesis. The research will provide a clue to develop a novel therapeutic strategy to cure the human cancer patients
Specific areas of Research Emphasis: Cancer Biology; Cancer Genetics; Cancer Therapy; Molecular Genetics; Kidney Disease; Liver Disease; Lung Disease; Pancreatic Disease; Other Organ Specific Disorders
Name: Jenny Wang
Email: jing.wang@osumc.edu
Department: Cancer Biology & Genetics
Preferred Method of Contact: Faculty Email
Previous Mentoring: Yes (funded)
Category of research: Translational
Research Description: Metastasis, recurrence and drug resistance are major problems in cancer treatment. Metastasis is responsible for the majority of colorectal cancer mortality, yet the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. Colorectal cancer has a high metastatic relapse rate, which is thought to be caused by the activation of dormant tumor cells. However, very little is known of the establishment, maintenance and activation of tumor dormancy. 5-FU-base chemotherapy has been the standard care for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. While improvements in survival have been seen with 5-FU based chemotherapy combinations and biologic agents over the past 20 years, less than 20% of patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer survive 5 years beyond diagnosis mainly due to intrinsic or acquired resistance to drug treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to identify new targets and develop effective therapies to treat metastatic disease and prevent recurrence.
Research in Dr. Wang's laboratory includes basic and translational research projects, aiming to:
1) understand the molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer metastasis, recurrence, tumor dormancy and drug resistance,
2) identify and validate novel therapeutic targets using cell culture, organoids, mouse models and patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and
3) develop small molecule inhibitors and test their efficacy in vitro and in vivo.
The main goal is to develop novel and effective therapies that can be taken to the clinical trials. Recently, checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has shown promising results in a variety of cancers including colorectal cancer. As existing immune checkpoint therapies are not universally effective and may be limited by toxicities, discovery of other immunotherapeutic targets and combination strategies is a priority. Dr. Wang's laboratory has recently developed several projects aiming to identify new therapeutic avenues and facilitate development of novel strategies to prevent cancer immune evasion and increase therapeutic efficacy of immunotherapy."
Specific areas of Research Emphasis: Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapy, Other Cancer Biology, Clinical Cancer Research