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Dr. Chang S. Chan, PhD

Chan has been a Co-Leader of GICG since 2016. Chan is a systems biologist with a long-standing interest in applying computational methods to the study of cancer genomics, TP53 biology, gene regulation, and molecular classification of tumors based on their genomic and expression signatures. He developed analytical pipelines and statistical approaches to understand the genomic landscape of T-cell lymphoma, oncocytomas, and neuroendocrine tumors, and identified tumor driver mutations and sub-classifications with distinct molecular alterations and phenotypes. Using Li-Fraumeni cohort data and mouse models, he made the surprising discovery that, despite germline TP53 mutations, there is no evidence of germline genome instability in Li-Fraumeni syndrome. He identified one of the first microRNA, miR-504, that regulates TP53, and was among the first to use CTCF binding sites to predict the genes directly regulated by the binding of estrogen receptor to enhancers. He has successfully created a systems biology group by recruiting and mentoring two outstanding junior faculty members, Khiabanian and De, who have both rapidly established their independent labs and secured R01 awards and other competitive funding. Chan is actively engaged with clinical investigators in formulating new translational projects as well as assisting with overall guidance of bioinformatics. Chan is an active member of the CINJ Precision Medicine group and Molecular Tumor Board. Based on his expertise, scientific accomplishments, mentoring and organizational skills, Chan is eminently qualified as Co-Leader of the GICG Program.