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Unraveling Complex Structural Variants and ecDNA in Childhood Brain Tumors

Structural variants (SVs) as well as extrachromosomal circular DNA (ecDNA) are known drivers of aggressive tumor growth, promoting oncogenic fusion genes and high oncogene copy number.

The Chavez lab studies the effects of SVs on the gene regulatory landscape of tumor genomes, as well as the frequency and diversity of ecDNA in different types of pediatric brain tumors. The lab aims to identify oncogenic mechanisms and novel tumor-dependency genes and pathways that may provide new targets for improved therapeutic approaches.

During this webinar, you will learn how how:

  • 3D tumor genomes reveal complex inter-chromosomal rearrangements
  • Structural variants lead to the activation of tumor-dependency genes through the formation of neo-TADs and enhancer hijacking
  • ecDNA frequently amplifies one or several known and putative oncogenes and modulates regulatory rewiring

About the speaker

Lukas Chavez, PhD

Associate professor, Department of Medicine, UCSD

Lukas Chavez is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Medicine of the University of California San Diego. His research interests focus on chromatin and gene regulation in pediatric brain tumors.

The long-term goal of the Chavez laboratory is to gain a deeper understanding of genetically-linked epigenetic regulation in solid tumors using patient tissues and patient-derived model systems. In addition, his laboratory develops and uses new statistical and machine learning tools for the quantitative and integrative analysis of heterogeneous genetic and epigenetic data.