Investigators

Summary

Da Yang's lab studies cancer pharmacogenomics by integrating bioinformatics and experimental tools. We are specifically focused on identifying novel disease-driving none-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), modeling ncRNA down-stream regulatory network, and characterizing ncRNAs’ function in cancer therapy using in vivo and in vitro cancer models. Our integrative strategy has led to the discovery of novel RNA genes that serve as master regulators of drug resistance in ovarian and breast cancers by regulating EMT (Cancer Cell, 2013) and DNA repair pathway (JNCI, 2015; JAMA, 2011; Theranostics, 2020a). We have successfully built and identified key RNA-targets regulatory network for cancer metastasis and drug resistance (Clin Cancer Res, 2014 and PNAS, 2015; Theranostics, 2020b). Recently, we performed an integrated analysis of the lncRNA-drug interaction landscape and cloned a novel intergenic lncRNA gene that promotes breast cancer tumorigenesis through inhibiting tumor immune response  (Cancer Cell, 2018; Nat Commun, 2018; Science Advances, 2020; Science Advances, 2022).