Jae-il Park
Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology
We are studying stem cells and cancer using genetically engineered mouse models and organoids with a specific interest in Wnt signaling.
Wnt signaling plays key roles in governing various cellular processes during embryogenesis, organogenesis, and tissue homeostasis. We are exploring how Wnt signaling controls tissue stem and progenitor cells and orchestrates tissue regeneration.
Aberrant activation of Wnt signaling contributes to cancer. Given the crucial roles of Wnt signaling in tissue homeostasis and regeneration, direct targeting of Wnt signaling as a cancer treatment is challenging. To overcome this, we are in the study of new molecules, cancer-specific regulators of Wnt signaling, in a pre-clinical setting.
Education & Training
PhD, MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School, 2006
Research Info
tissue stem cells in regeneration and development; cell plasticity in tissue homeostasis and cancer; Wnt signaling in cancer