Projects
We have several ongoing projects related to tumor phenotype heterogeneity.
Quantifying genetic ancestry to detect differential gene expression changes
Ancestry-Associated Gene Network Changes
Gene expression patterns associated with ancestry reveal relatedness among race groups
We evaluate TNBC subtypes by RNA extraction and sequencing from two hundred prospectively-acquired samples, evenly distributed between African American, White/Caucasian American; Ghanaian; and Ethiopian patients. We will evaluate the known six TNBC major subtypes via the publicly-available web-based tool TNBCtype. We utilize anthropology research tools to generate hypotheses regarding the interactions of population migration patterns and reproductive risk factors on TNBC pathogenesis.
Expression of DARC/ACKR1 is a driver of tumor infiltration and inflammatory status in tumors
DARC side of tumor immunology
This project will test the hypothesis that DARC expression in tumor cells alters tissue chemokine levels to modify the host immune response to tumorigenesis, and that absence of DARC expression on blood cells as a result of the African-specific Fy- allele alters circulating chemokine levels, altering the tumor microenvironment and enhancing tumor aggression.
DARC tumor cells are unique
Immunological functions vary in DARC-high tumor environments
Inclusion of multiple ancestry groups allows discovery of unique risk among ethnicity
African - Specific Risk of TNBC Subtypes
Our African-enriched international cohort allows investigations of population-private risk, which is dispersed throughout the modern African diaspora - observed as increased frequency of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) among women of West African descent, globally.
