Decoding Regulatory Networks and Cell-State Plasticity in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Our research aims to understand how regulatory programs shape cell identity, plasticity and therapy response in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). We are particularly interested in how oncogenic transcriptional networks, including MYC-driven programs, control neuroendocrine differentiation and enable tumor cells to transition between different functional states. A central focus of our work is the regulatory genome, including enhancer regions that coordinate transcription-factor binding and cell-state-specific gene expression programs.
To address these questions, we combine experimental cancer biology with regulatory genomics, single-cell and spatial approaches, and computational sequence-to-function modeling. A central goal of our group is to establish a truly integrated wet-lab and computational research framework in which computational predictions guide functional experiments and experimental data, in turn, refine mechanistic models.
By linking regulatory DNA, transcription-factor activity and dynamic cell-state transitions, we aim to identify molecular dependencies that determine therapeutic response and reveal vulnerabilities that can be translated into new therapeutic concepts for SCLC patients.
