Gan Laboratory
Boyi Gan, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Biochemistry
- Genetics
- Epigenetics
- Kidney Cancer
- Molecular Biology
- ncRNAs
- Tumor Suppression
- Cancer Metabolism
Welcome to the Gan Laboratory at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Our lab has a long-standing interest in understanding nutrient signaling and metabolic stress response in both normal and cancer cells. Our current research focuses on two related research topics that have emerged from our more recent work: 1) the role and mechanisms of ferroptosis (a form of cell death induced by metabolic stress) in cellular metabolism, tumor suppression, and cancer therapy, and 2) cystine metabolism-induced nutrient dependency and its implication in cancer therapy. Our work aims to translate our understanding of ferroptosis and nutrient dependency into novel effective cancer therapeutics.
Research Focus
The Gan Laboratory is studying energy metabolism and nutrient sensing in cancer by answering the following questions:
- How do normal cells and cancer cells sense energy and nutrient availability?
- How do cancer cells adapt to survive and grow under metabolic stress?
- How can we translate our understanding of energy metabolism in cancer cells into novel cancer therapeutics?
Our research projects include:
- The role and mechanisms of ferroptosis (a form of cell death induced by metabolic stress) in cellular metabolism, tumor suppression, and cancer therapy.
- Cystine metabolism-induced nutrient dependency and its implication in cancer therapy.
Learn more about our research projects
Our research approach
The Gan Laboratory uses functional studies, such as mouse models, to enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern the cellular pathways of cancer metabolism. Our goal is to then translate our research discoveries into the clinic through novel therapeutics targeting critical steps in these cancer metabolism pathways.
Meet The Team
The Gan Laboratory is a research team comprised of research investigators, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.