using genomic and computational approaches to investigate genetic programs employ a variety of molecular, cellular, animal, human, and in silico model

NCER GENETICS
Lewis A. Chodosh
Chodosh Lab | Staff | Publications | Employment
The Chodosh Laboratory | Email Us
The Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute
421 Curie Boulevard
627BRB II/III
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6160
Ph: (215) 898-0006
Fax: (215) 573-6725
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Contacts
• Lewis A. Chodosh
chodosh@mail.med.upenn.edu
(215) 898-1321
• Judith A. Farrell
Administrative Coordinator
jufarrel@mail.med.upenn.edu
(215) 573-3224

Research
The Chodosh laboratory uses genetically engineered mouse models to study the genes and mechanisms that cause breast cancer and that regulate normal mammary gland development. The relationship between mammary development and breast cancer susceptibility is illustrated by the observation that women who have their first child early in life have a significantly lower lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.

Understanding the molecular biology of breast cancer susceptibility requires a thorough understanding of the normal developmental biology of the mammary gland, the mechanisms by which breast cancers arise, and the role played by key regulatory molecules in each of these processes. Current experimental approaches towards these goals in the Chodosh laboratory include:
1. creating genetically engineered mouse models in which specific oncogenic pathways can be inducibly activated or repressed;
2. using inducible animal models to analyze the effect of developmental events on the mammary gland's response to a defined oncogenic stimulus;
3. using inducible animal models to dissect the process of carcinogenesis;
4. defining the molecular and cellular changes that occur in the mammary glands of mice, rats, and humans during stages of development that influence breast cancer risk;
5. using genomic and computational approaches to investigate genetic programs in mammary development and carcinogenesis; and
6. studying the function of three novel serine/threonine kinases in mammary development and carcinogenesis. These approaches employ a variety of molecular, cellular, animal, human, and in silico model systems to study the function of key regulatory molecules in mammary gland biology.



The Chodosh Laboratory is part of Cancer Genomics a core unit of the The Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Created in December 1997 with a $100 million pledge from the Abramson Family Foundation, the Cancer Research Institute integrates research, education, and comprehensive patient care at the Abramson Cancer Center