• Epigenetic research and liquid biopsy assays in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
• Genetic analysis of patients with Usher syndrome in Japan
• Analyze cochlear tissue sections by mass microscopy

Epigenetic research and liquid biopsy assays in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Our research group is focused on epigenomic, transcriptomic and electron microscopic approaches to study cancer for understanding head and neck cancer biology as well as to discover novel therapeutic approaches (precision medicine). Our group has discovered the functionality of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the head and neck cancer. Current studies are focused on identifying epigenetic mechanisms of head and neck cancer patients to identify open clinical translation that may benefit the individual patient. Additional research is focused on liquid biopsy utilizing cell-free DNA and circulating tumor cells found in the blood for early detection that are common in head and neck cancer. Our previous works led to the identification TET mRNA is downregulated in HNSCC owing to DNA methylation (Oncotarget 2018). This may be a critical event in HNSCC progression. Furthermore, we found that 5-hmC levels were decreased in HNSCC tissues and were correlated with TET expression levels. Taken together, reduced TET expression and subsequent 5-hmC loss may be crucial in the development of HNSCC and epigenetic treatments (J of Cancer 2019). Currently efforts are underway to extend the molecular biologic and electron microscopic approach to head and neck cancers.