| Send E-mail to: plaird@usc.edu | | | Telephone: 323-442-7890 | Fax: 323-442-7880 | | Office: NRT 511B | Mail Code: 9176 HSC |
Education:
BS 1982 Biology - University of Leiden, Netherlands
MS 1984 Molecular Biology - University of Leiden, Netherlands
PhD 1988 Molecular Biology - Netherlands Cancer Institute/University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Postdoctoral Research Fellowship:
1988 - 1991 Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands
1991 - 1996 Whitehead Institute/Massachusettes Institute of Technology, Massachusettes
Started at USC: 1996 Research Topics: Cancer Genetics, DNA Replication, Repair, Modification, Gene Regulation/Transcription, Human/Mammalian Genetics, Epigenetics
Research Description Our goal is to develop a detailed understanding of the molecular basis of cancer. This will lead to vastly improved treatments, earlier detection methods, and more accurate diagnoses. Our laboratory focuses on the role of DNA methylation in cancer. DNA methylation is a way for the cell to specify which genes should remain silent. This process is essential for normal mammalian development. Until recently, the role of DNA methylation in cancer had been overlooked by most investigators, with most of the focus going towards the identification of genetic mutations in tumors. We helped to bring about a change in this perception when we showed that DNA methylation played an essential role in early intestinal tumor development. Now, the field is exploding with activity. This is an extremely exciting time to be working on this important aspect of cancer.
We take a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding how DNA methylation affects the cancer process. We use a combination of molecular biology, cell culture, transgenic and gene-targeted mice, and epidemiological studies in humans. Our area of research spans from the most basic cellular mechanisms to divising new diagnostic methods for clinicians. Our laboratory is a stimulating environment with close interactions with other basic scientists,epidemiologists, pathologists, surgeons, and oncologists.
10 Selected Publications:
Click here to view all the publications for this faculty
Berman BP,Weisenberger DJ,Laird PW - Locking in on the human methylome. - Nat Biotechnol [2009] Apr;27(4):341-2 PubMed
Yoo CB,Chuang JC,Byun HM,Egger G,Yang AS,Dubeau L,Long T,Laird PW,Marquez VE,Jones PA - Long-term epigenetic therapy with oral zebularine has minimal side effects and prevents intestinal tumors in mice. - Cancer Prev Res (Phila Pa) [2008] Sep;1(4):233-40 PubMed
Sohn KJ,Jang H,Campan M,Weisenberger DJ,Dickhout J,Wang YC,Cho RC,Yates Z,Lucock M,Chiang EP,Austin RC,Choi SW,Laird PW,Kim YI - The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T mutation induces cell-specific changes in genomic DNA methylation and uracil misincorporation: A possible molecular basis for the site-specific cancer risk modification. - Int J Cancer [2008] Sep 16;(): PubMed
Poynter JN,Siegmund KD,Weisenberger DJ,Long TI,Thibodeau SN,Lindor N,Young J,Jenkins MA,Hopper JL,Baron JA,Buchanan D,Casey G,Levine AJ,Le Marchand L,Gallinger S,Bapat B,Potter JD,Newcomb PA,Haile RW,Laird PW,Colon Cancer Family Registry Investigators - Molecular characterization of MSI-H colorectal cancer by MLHI promoter methylation, immunohistochemistry, and mismatch repair germline mutation screening. - Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev [2008] Nov;17():3208-15 PubMed
Campan M,Weisenberger DJ,Trinh B,Laird PW - MethyLight. - Methods Mol Biol [2009] ;507():325-37 PubMed
McIntosh M,Anderson G,Drescher C,Hanash S,Urban N,Brown P,Gambhir SS,Coukos G,Laird PW,Nelson B,Palmer C - Ovarian cancer early detection claims are biased. - Clin Cancer Res [2008] Nov 15;14():7574; author reply 7577-9 PubMed
Lopes EC,Valls E,Figueroa ME,Mazur A,Meng FG,Chiosis G,Laird PW,Schreiber-Agus N,Greally JM,Prokhortchouk E,Melnick A - Kaiso contributes to DNA methylation-dependent silencing of tumor suppressor genes in colon cancer cell lines. - Cancer Res [2008] Sep 15;68():7258-63 PubMed
Cancer Genome Atlas Research Network - Comprehensive genomic characterization defines human glioblastoma genes and core pathways. - Nature [2008] Oct 23;455():1061-8 PubMed
American Association for Cancer Research Human Epigenome Task Force,European Union, Network of Excellence, Scientific Advisory Board - Moving AHEAD with an international human epigenome project. - Nature [2008] Aug 7;454():711-5 PubMed
Weisenberger DJ,Trinh BN,Campan M,Sharma S,Long TI,Ananthnarayan S,Liang G,Esteva FJ,Hortobagyi GN,McCormick F,Jones PA,Laird PW - DNA methylation analysis by digital bisulfite genomic sequencing and digital MethyLight. - Nucleic Acids Res [2008] Aug;36(14):4689-98 PubMed
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