Based at the VCHRI Jack Bell Research Centre, this laboratory is dedicated to understanding the molecular mechanisms behind the development of skin cancers. We are investigating exactly what happens at the molecular level when a skin lesion or growth becomes cancerous. Which genes are being turned on or turned off? Why does the growth pattern become disordered? Why it is invasive? By knowing which genes are functioning abnormally in skin cancer, we are also determining new targets for innovative therapies of metastatic melanoma, an advanced cancer which responds poorly to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Cases of melanoma that are not detected early enough cannot be cured by surgery, and the five-year survival rate drops to less than 50%. Unfortunately melanoma is very resistant to conventional cancer therapies, and therefore the laboratory is looking at a number of strategies to get melanoma to respond to systemic therapy. To date we have had success in identifying new target molecules and genes for treating malignant melanoma.

Lab Leader

Dr. Gang Li and Dr. Vincent Ho

Lab Location

Jack Bell Research Centre Rooms 412 & 436 Vancouver General Hospital

Staff

Fellows

Dr. Madhuri Bhandaru, Dr. Jing Lu, Dr. Anand Rotte, Dr. Almass-houd Aguissa Toure, Dr. Guohong Zhang

VISITING SCHOLAR

Dr. Maham Farshidpour

students

Gholamreza Safaee Ardekani, Teshager Bitew, Yabin Cheng, Mehdi Jafarnejad, Shahram Khosravi, Cecilia Sjoestroem, Philip Tang, Ronald Wong,

Major Investigative Technologies Utilized

Tissue microarray, Host-cell-reactivation assay, apoptosis assays, adenovirus, molecular cloning, immunofluorescence, Flow cytometry, DNA sequencing.

Recent Publications

Lin H, Wong RPC, Martinka M, Li G. Increased BRG1 expression in human melanoma. Treatment Strategies Dermatol. 1:78-83, 2011. Wu Y, Chen R, Zhao X, Li A, Li G, Zhou J. JWA regulates chronic morphine dependence via the delta opioid receptor. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 409:520-525, 2011. Chen G, Cheng Y, Zhang Z, Martinka M, Li G. Prognostic significance of cytoplasmic p27 expression in human melanoma. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (in press) Jafarnejad SM, Li G. Regulation of p53 by ING family members in suppression of tumor initiation and progression. Cancer & Metast Rev. (in press) Cheng Y, Li G. Role of the ubiquitin ligase Fbw7 in cancer progression. Cancer & Metast Rev. (in press) Chen G, Cheng Y, Zhang Z, Martinka M, Li G. Cytoplasmic Skp2 expression is increased in human melanoma and correlated with patient survival. PLoS ONE, 6(2):e17578. » more publications...

Agencies Involved

National Cancer Institute of Canada, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Canadian Dermatology Foundation, Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Natural Science and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Melanoma Foundation   10.04.11