The laboratory led by Xinna Zhang, PhD is focused on the study of protein regulators and noncoding RNAs in the DNA damage signaling pathway and human cancer, especially as they relate to genome stability, tumor initiation and progression.
Active Research
Chromosome 17q23 amplification is a frequent genomic event in human breast cancer. Zhang’s lab found the amplification results in the upregulation of two oncogenes, Wip1 and miR-21, which may contribute to breast cancer initiation and progression. The goal of the study is focused on the function of Wip1/miR-21 in HER2+ breast cancer and their role in resistance to anti-HER2 therapy.