I am a biomedical scientist with special expertise in the development of mouse models, biochemistry and cell biology, and signal transduction of cancer-relevant signaling pathways. My research interest has been on understanding the mechanisms of tumor initiation and progression by oncogenes, with the goal to identify therapeutic targets for patients with cancer.
My current research interests lie in the following fields:
(1) to dissect the downstream signaling pathways of oncogenic GNAQ and GNA11 to identify therapeutic targets for human uveal melanoma;
(2) to develop primary/metastatic uveal melanoma mouse models to validate the role of candidate melanoma genes in tumor formation and progression and to evaluate potential therapies in a preclinical setting;
(3) to seeks to understand the mechanisms of adaptive and acquired resistance of G alpha q pathway inhibition in uveal melanoma;
(4) to investigate the underlying mechanism of uveal melanoma liver metastasis;
(5) to develop effective immunotherapy strategies for metastatic uveal melanoma.