Zeng Quan Yang
Department of Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute
Wayne State University, USA
Dr. Zeng Quan Yang is currently working as Assistant Professor in Karmanos Cancer Institute at Department of Oncology, Wayne State University, USA.
The primary focus of my research work is on the histone demethylase GASC1(Gene Amplified in Squamous Cell Carcinoma 1) in human cancers. I originally cloned the GASC1 gene when I was a PhD student at the Tokyo Medical and DentalUniversity in Japan. Shortly thereafter, as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan Cancer Center, I carried out research aimed at better understanding of the genetic basis and molecular mechanisms for the development and progression of human breast cancer. Now at the Karmanos Cancer Institute and WayneStateUniversity, I have extended my research to study the involvement of genetic and epigenetic alterations, specifically histone demethylase GASC1, in human breast, prostate and esophageal tumorigenesis. Using various cancer model cells, we demonstrated that over-production of GASC1 induces alterations in epigenetic histone methylation and affects the expression of key genes that are implicated in carcinogenesis and stem cell properties in human cancer. Furthermore, GASC1 represents highly promising anti-cancer therapeutic targets; a number of GASC1 inhibitors have been identified and reported. My lab, collaborated with others, are current test these GASC1 inhibitors in breast and prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo, and ultimately develop GASC1 inhibitors as new epi-drugs for the treatment of cancer.
