Robert B. and Virginia Payne Professorship in Oncology
Academic Title:
Professor
Primary Appointment:
Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Secondary Appointment:
Pharmacology
School:
Southwestern Medical School
Degree Program:
Genetics and Development
Affiliations:
Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Komen Alliance Breast Cancer Research Moncrief Radiation Oncology Center Radiation Oncology Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Research in the laboratory of Dr. David A. Boothman examines cellular responses to DNA damage caused by therapeutic agents. Ionizing radiation (Ir) is a major therapeutic modality used for treating nearly all cancers. Yet, gene expression responses that afford sensitivities/resistance to this agent are still unresolved. Cellular responses under investigation are: signal transduction processes, gene/protein expression changes, post-translational regulation affecting function, cellular and molecular biology of apoptosis, and cellular and molecular biology of cancer and aging. Research in the lab is separated into four main areas: i) Cellular and molecular biology of damage-inducible gene expression ii) Cellular and molecular biology of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) DNA double strand break repair. Proteins, such as nuclear clusterin and Ku70 Binding Protein 35, involved in NHEJ are being cloned, characterized, and functions revealed. iii) Development and use of novel β-lapachone derivatives; chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive agents for the treatment of cancer iv) Role of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) in retrograde (nucleus-to-cytoplasm) signaling of G2/M cell cycle checkpoint control and apoptosis The ultimate goal of our research is to understand molecular stress responses that occur in tumor versus normal cells and to use this information to improve therapy.
