Glioma Biology

Yue Feng is a molecular biologist with a strong interest in neurosciences. Her research focuses on the function of RNA-protein interaction in controlling CNS development and how malfunction of these interactions might promote tumorigenesis. One of her projects investigates the QKI protein, a pivotal intermediate that controls neural cell growth and differentiation via regulating mRNA cellular fate. Recently, she found diminished expression of QIK in human glioma in collaboration with Erwin Van Meir. She is currently investigating the role of QKI in glia cell growth, apoptosis, differentiation, and potentially in tumorigenesis of glioma.

Charlie Hao is a physician scientist and neuropathologist with an interest in death receptor-mediated programmed cell death in malignant gliomas. His goal is to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for resistance to TRAIL so as to overcome them to devise clinical treatments based on TRAIL delivery to kill tumor cells by the induction of apoptosis.