Hong Sun, M.D., Ph.D.
Director of Cancer Genomics, Division of Basic Science
Dr. Sun received her M.D. from Beijing Medical University in Beijing, China, and her Ph.D. from Harvard University. She was an assistant professor and then an associate professor at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Sun joined Nevada Cancer Institute as Director of Cancer Genomics in the Division of Basic Science in 2007. Dr. Sun has received many national awards in her career which include the Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences from 1996 to 2000 and the American Cancer Society Research Scholar from 2003 to 2007.
Dr. Sun’s laboratory is interested in dissecting the molecular mechanisms of signal transduction and determining how alterations of the signaling pathways contribute to cancer and aging. Her laboratory employs functional genomic approaches to identify novel genes involved in the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) receptor, PI 3-kinase/PTEN/Akt, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways, and studies the functions of these genes in tumor initiation and progression. In addition, her research team is in the process of identifying and testing new chemical compounds for anti-tumor activities in pre-clinical models.
Publications
Kim Y, Sun H. 2007. Functional genomic approach to identify novel genes involved in the regulation of oxidative stress resistance and animal lifespan. Aging Cell 6(4):489-503 [Epub 2007 Jul 3].
Ghosh, P., Wu, M., Zhang, H, and Sun, H. 2008. mTORC1 signaling requires proteasomal function and the involvement of CUL4-DDB1 ubiquitin E3 ligase. Cell Cycle 7(3), 1-9 [Epub 2007 Nov 2].
