Identification of novel oncogenes in sarcoma and other solid tumors:
Progress in the sarcoma field has been possible through rigorous clinicopathologic observation, thorough cytogenetic and genomic correlations, and systematic use of appropriate laboratory models.
Relying on these three approaches, we apply state-of-the-art molecular techniques to discover novel oncogenic drivers of specific tumor types, which have been carefully characterized clinically and morphologically within our group. We have developed a unique repository of sarcoma-related bioresources, including frozen tumor samples, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks with comprehensive clinicopathological annotation and, most importantly, patient-derived sarcoma cell lines that accurately represent different forms of the clinical disease. We utilize techniques such as RNA and genomic sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and protein immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation to identify oncogenic drivers and gain insights into the biology of these clinically challenging tumors.