A description of our research for non-scientists can be found here.
The Faller lab is studying the role that RNA translation plays in models of cancer. In recent years it has become clear that cancer cells use multiple mechanisms to up-regulate oncogenes and down-regulate tumor suppressor genes. Much of the focus of this research has been on modulators of transcription; however we now estimate that transcriptional control only explains 30% to 40% of protein level variation. One of the major reasons for this discrepancy is thought to be differences in RNA translation.
We use ribosome profiling to study the changes and dynamics of RNA translation in normal and cancer cells. This technique allows the analysis of ribosome binding to mRNA at codon level resolution, providing a huge amount of information about this process. We apply this technique in cell lines and 3d-organoids, providing a snapshot of translation in these complex models.
We are particularly interested in the ribosome. Recent work has shown that there is far more variation to the ribosome than previously appreciated, and we are now trying to understand whether this heterogeneity results in specialized functions. This work has led us to study immune responses, as well as various cancer models. In all, we hope to gain a much more thorough understanding of the role that RNA translation plays in cancer, while at the same time identifying many new, exciting therapeutic targets for the disease.
