Margarida Albuquerque Almeida Santos
Associate Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis
The independent research program now in my laboratory is focused on epigenetic regulation and transcription in normal and malignant hematopoiesis. We have been particularly interested in a family of Protein Arginine Methyltransferases (PRMTs) and its roles on benign and malignant cell differentiation and have move forward our studies on the MLL3/4 complex in normal and malignant cells as well. This last study is currently under revision in Nature Communications. We also actively continue to develop our interest in the interplay of histone modifications and the DNA damage response. My long-term goal is to understand the mechanisms through which epigenetic regulation and transcription occur during normal differentiation and how these processes become disrupted in cancer, and to use this information to develop specific and potent therapeutic strategies. I am also very passionate about education of the next generation of cancer researchers; I have mentored several postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students in my lab.
Education & Training
PhD, University of Lisbon Medical School, 2007
Research Info
DNA Damage and Epigenetics in Cancer Stem Cells