Dr. Edward Chuong is investigating the unexpected role of transposons in shaping immune responses and potentially influencing cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Long considered genomic \u201cjunk\u201d or inert fossils, transposons \u2013 mobile genetic elements that make up over 50% of the human genome \u2013 are now emerging as important regulators of host gene expression. Dr. Chuong\u2019s research has revealed that transposon-derived regulatory elements have been co-opted as enhancers and transcriptional switches, playing essential roles in innate immune signaling across multiple mammalian lineages, including primates, rodents, and bats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building on these findings, Dr. Chuong now aims to uncover how transposons may drive dysregulated immune signaling in cancer, where immune evasion is a hallmark. His lab hypothesizes that transposon-derived regulatory networks contribute to altered cytokine and interferon responses in the tumor microenvironment, potentially influencing the success or failure of immunotherapies. To explore these questions, Dr. Chuong\u2019s team uses cutting-edge genomic profiling, CRISPR-based perturbations, and cross-species comparative analyses to identify functionally relevant transposon elements. By decoding the hidden regulatory impact of these genomic elements, this work promises to reveal novel mechanisms of immune dysregulation in cancer and highlight new targets for therapeutic intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cancer biology, transposons, immune regulation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Decrypting Transposon-Driven Dysregulation of Cancer Immune Function<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Edward Chuong is investigating the unexpected role of transposons in shaping immune responses and potentially influencing cancer immunotherapy outcomes. Long considered genomic \u201cjunk\u201d or inert fossils, transposons \u2013 mobile genetic elements […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":35415,"template":"","tax_cancer_type":[455],"tax_grant_type":[482],"tax_award_year":[742],"tax_institutions":[637],"tax_location_states":[638],"class_list":["post-35426","cri_scientists","type-cri_scientists","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"scientist_subhead":"Assistant Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, BioFrontiers Institute at University of Colorado Boulder","quote":"We\u2019re diving into the most ambitious and high-impact parts of our research plan right away: large-scale mouse studies and single-cell sequencing. This support lets us finally explore those ideas at full scale and bring new perspectives to the field.","scientist_last_name":"Chuong","show_on_landing":true,"scientist_publish_until":"20310612"},"yoast_head":"\nProjects and Grants<\/h2>\n\n\n\n