Esther Rheinbay

The Rheinbay laboratory concentrates on identifying and functionally characterizing non-coding drivers in the sequences of tumor genomes through development of novel analysis strategies and collaborations with experimental investigators.

Most known genomic drivers of cancer are in coding genes, affecting the encoded protein’s interaction with other proteins, DNA or biological compounds. Recent advances in DNA sequencing technology have made it possible to study non-coding regions that regulate these protein-coding genes. Several cancer drivers have been identified and characterized in these regulatory regions, however, this genomic territory remains relatively unexplored in human tumors. The Rheinbay laboratory concentrates on identifying and functionally characterizing these non-coding drivers in the sequences of tumor whole genomes through development of novel analysis strategies and collaborations with experimental investigators.

We are also interested in the contribution of the sex chromosomes, especially the Y chromosome, to cancer. Loss of Y is known to be associated with morbidity and mortality in aging men, yet its role in tumors is largely unclear. Much of this is due to technical challenges that our group aims to solve. Understanding the driver genes on the sex chromosomes will help us explain differences in male and female tumors, and forge a path to more effective, sex-informed treatment.