Research in my laboratory is primarily focused on identifying and developing innovative approaches for cancer diagnostics and treatment. The strategy involves identifying novel compounds that have anti-cancer activity, target differentially expressed cancer specific genes, and work synergistically with standard therapeutic treatments.
The current focus is on targeting proteins such as the transcription factors (Specificity protein family) and inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP family).
Another area of research being pursued is the health disparity in breast cancer. Mortality rates among black women with breast cancer is significantly higher compared to white women. Besides factors like socio-economic status, education level, or access to healthcare that play an important role, there is strong evidence for inherent differences in biology of the tumors between different racial groups. We are currently investigating markers that are differentially expressed among various racial background for use as potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets.