Due to Dr. Liu’s being stranded out of town because of weather, Dr. Francesca Menghi stepped in to inform us of her research on triple negative breast cncer.
At the Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine, I am involved in several projects that explore the genome-wide patterns of genetic and transcriptional alterations characterizing human cancers. In particular,I am interested in the identification of key regulatory genes and/or pathways as well as complex rearrangement profiles, which may explain tumor initiation and progression as well as provide valuable targets for the development of novel therapeutic approaches and prognostic biomarkers. At present, I am investigating critical genomic aberrations implicated in ovarian and breast cancer tumorigenesis. By exploiting next-generation sequencing technologies combined with in vitro cell culture models andin vivo patient-derived xenografts, I aim at a better understanding of the individuality of cancer genomes and at the development of novel approaches toward the personalized management of cancer patients.
In the past several decades, new technologies from convergent disciplines have transformed biology and medicine from explaining phenomena to predicting outcomes and now, to augmenting biological functions and even changing life forms. How this has happened, and how these discoveries will change the course of human existence, and what we will need to manage our future wisely will be explored.
Dr. Edison Liu, M.D. is a physician, scientist, institution builder, and global thought leader in science and economic development. He was president and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory (JAX). Under his watch, JAX nearly tripled its revenues and expanded from Maine and California, to Connecticut, Japan, and China. Before that, he was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, and chairman of the board of Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (Singapore’s FDA equivalent). An expert in cancer biology and genomics with a focus on breast cancer, he has authored over 360 scientific papers, reviews and books, and is a frequent commentator on the role of science in economic development of nations. A graduate of Stanford University with post graduate training in Washington University, St. Louis, and University of California at San Francisco, Dr. Liu has received numerous awards and honors, and advises both biotech companies, and non-profit organizations across the world.