Lee Zou, PhD, MGH Research Scholar Profile
The laboratory of MGH Research Scholar Lee Zou, PhD, is investigating the genetic and epigenetic changes in the human genome that contribute to the development of cancer.
Pathways that Mediate the Cellular Response to DNA Damage
Jim and Ann Orr MGH Research Scholar 2011-2016
Associate Scientific Director, Mass General Cancer Center
Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Cancer is a complex disease driven by genetic and epigenetic alterations in the genome.
To prevent these detrimental alterations, cells have evolved an intricate signaling network, called the checkpoint, to detect and signal problems in the genome.
During cancer development, the activation of oncogenes and loss of tumor suppressors leads to genomic instability, rendering cancer cells increasingly dependent upon specific DNA repair and checkpoint signaling proteins to survive.
The Zou laboratory is interested in understanding how the checkpoint detects DNA damage and genomic instability, and how the checkpoint can be targeted in cancer therapy.