The University of Texas at MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology

The Msaouel laboratory is dedicated to translational research for renal cell carcinomas. Mechanistic insights generated by our team have led to multiple clinical trials for the treatment of rare and common renal cell carcinoma subtypes with a particular emphasis on SMARCB1-deficient renal malignancies, of which renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) is the most common subtype. Towards this goal, our group has used an array of molecular and functional genomic tools to develop in vitro and in vivo models recapitulating key features of the pathogenesis and clinical phenotype of rare and common renal cell carcinomas. In support of our bench-to-bedside efforts, we are also developing and implementing novel clinical trial designs and data analysis approaches that anticipate and model patient heterogeneity. The use of these tools by our team has led to practice-changing new therapies for cancers such as RMC – a disease that previously lacked effective salvage therapies.

Student’s rotating in the Msaouel laboratory will become familiar with:

• How to design and interpret preclinical experiments, clinical trials and correlative results using structural causal modeling and information theory.
• Standard 2D and 3D cell culture techniques and in vitro assays including Western blotting, Q-PRC, ChiP-PCR, gene knockdown and knockout.
• In vivo experiments with subcutaneous and orthotopic cell line-derived and patient-derived xenografts and genetically engineered mouse models for the testing of novel targeted therapies and immunotherapies.
• Vertical and horizontal modeling of cancer phylogeny and metastatic evolution.
• Collaborative close interactions with bioinformatics experts to design and execute bioinformatics analyses that address biological questions.

PubMed

MDACC Faculty

Education & Training

MD, University of Athens, 2006
PhD, University of Athens, 2011