Andrea Ventura, M.D., Ph.D

Specialty:

Cancer

Institution:

Junior Faculty Chair, Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Other Title:

Assistant Member, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program

Notes:

Our lab studies cancer-associated microRNAs (miRNAs).MiRNAs constitute a family of small non-coding RNAs that modulate the expression of protein coding genes in a sequence-specific manner. They are found in all bilateria and account for a significant fraction of vertebrate genes. The human genome, for example, contains over five hundred miRNAs. Despite the intense scrutiny they have recently received, the exact biological function of most miRNAs is still largely unknown.

A small, but relevant, number of human miRNAs have been recently shown to participate in the pathogenesis of human cancers, acting as oncogenes or as tumor suppressor genes, or affecting the metastatic process. The goals of our lab are to investigate the biology of this subclass of miRNAs, understand their normal functions in development and tumorigenesis, and determine whether they can be used as effective novel anticancer targets.