Research Interests

JAK/STAT and Redox Signaling in the Drosophila Germline Stem Cell Maintenance

My research uses the fruit fly Drosophila genetics to study the signal transduction pathways and redox signaling in stem cell behavior and cancer regulation, and to study nanotoxicity. Genetic, genomic, molecular and cell biological techniques are combined to achieve a systems-level understanding of these complex processes. We have shown that both JAK/STAT (Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription) and redox signaling plays key roles in the regulation of germline stem cell maintenance by either promoting their self-renewal or differentiation. We now focus on exploring if reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced effectors can serve as molecular targets for the development of redox-modulating agents to treat mouse leukemic stem cells.