Research Interests
The long-term focus of our research program is the identification and characterization of proteins and pathways which play a role in regulation of vascular inflammation, with a current focus on the role of endogenous anti-inflammatory cytokines in this process. We have two distinct, but related areas of investigation: 1- inhibition of vascular occlusive diseases such as atherosclerosis, restenosis, and allograft vasculopathy, and; 2- promotion of angiogenesis to treat peripheral vascular disease. Currently, we are focusing on an endogenous anti-inflammatory cytokine termed IL-19 which: regulates macrophage polarity, macrophage and smooth muscle cell cholesterol homeostasis, smooth muscle and endothelial cell proliferation, and decreases inflammatory mRNA stability, suggesting that this cytokine may represent a therapeutic modality to treat vascular inflammatory diseases.
Clinical Interests
Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) accounts for about 90% of ovarian cancers and represents the leading cause of gynecological cancer-related deaths. Recent studies show that EOC is a heterogeneous disease. High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common subtype that represents 70% of all EOC. The standard of care for women with HGSOC is the combination of platinum and taxane. However, the survival rates of these patients remain low due to the development of chemotherapeutic resistance and tumor recurrence. Therefore, new therapeutic options, such as targeted therapy, are required to improve the survival for EOC patients. Multiple epigenetic factors have high rates of amplification or overexpression in HGSOC patients. Subsets of HGSOC that are driven by impaired activity of epigenetic machinery are often characterized by poor prognosis. Thus, there is a great need for developing personalized therapeutic interventions that will target HGSOCs based on individual epigenetic landscape.
My research interest is focused on understanding the role of epigenetics in promoting tumorigenesis and chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. I am specifically interested in developing novel therapeutic strategies based on epigenetics that can potentially improve current standard-of-care therapies for ovarian cancer.
Education, Training & Credentials
- PhD, Hahnemann University, Philadelphia, PA