Amir Orian, MD/PhD, Professor, RTICC Director

Biology of Ub-related networks in aging and cancer. We focus on genes belonging to the ubiquitin and ubiquitin-like pathways that are critical for cell’s identity and ubiquitin-dependent protein stabilization in aging and cancer:

1. Identity network. we study Identity supervisors, genes that are required to maintain the identity of differentiated cells that serve as a “barrier to tumorigenesis”, as well as discovery of “identity breakers” genes that promote tumorigenesis.
2. Ubiquitin-dependent protein stabilization. A novel ubiquitin-dependent pathway that stabilizes and potentiates oncoprotein in cancer. The pathway is essential for cancer cells to cope with the oncogenic stress and cancer cell survival promoting tumorigenesis, but is less critical to non-transformed cells.

We combine advanced genetic and genomic tools including Drosophila genetics, functional screens in vivo, genomics, biochemistry and cell biology of mammalian cells, mouse-derived intestinal organoids and patient-derived specimens.