Research Abstract
The Yeh lab is specialized in chemical biology and disease modeling using cell culture, mice and zebrafish. In addition, we are working at the forefront of genome engineering using zinc finger nuclease (ZFN), TALE nuclease and CRISPR-Cas technologies. Through a chemical screen in zebrafish, we have previously identified that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors can suppress the leukemia stem cells expressing the AML1-ETO oncogene. Based on this finding, the plan to conduct a clinical trial of a COX inhibitor in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is underway. Currently, Dr. Yeh’s laboratory is also investigating the metabolic pathways that regulate cholesterol homeostasis and dissecting the roles of oncogenic mutations in several metabolic genes including isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), fumarate hydratase (FH) and succinate dehydrogenase (SDH).