Wei-Qiang Gao Senior Scientist: Molecular Biology Mentor Profile | Top Scientific Papers

"My lab is currently investigating the mechanisms of prostate development and tumorigenesis. In particular, we are interested in the following aspects:

1. Identifying and isolating normal prostate epithelial stem cells and prostate cancer stem cells. We use the renal capsule tissue recombination approach to determine the regeneration capability of the putative prostate epithelial stem cells. We also perform xenograft and/or orthotopic implantation experiments to determine the tumorigenicity of putative prostate cancer stem cells.
2. Determining the role of specific signaling pathways such as Notch, Hedgehog and Wnt in prostate development and tumorigenesis.
3. Establishing, validating and applying various genetically engineered mouse models of prostate cancer for pre-clinical drug efficacy and mechanism of action studies."