Laurie Laboratory
Laurie Laboratory
Nikia A. Laurie, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Cancer Biology and Epigenomics Program, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is also a Member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chicago, Illinois.
Research:
Elucidating the Molecular Mechanisms of Retinoblastoma Progression
Research
description:
Retinoblastoma, the most common pediatric cancer of the eye, is a devastating
and sometimes fatal pediatric cancer. Within the United States, the majority of
retinoblastoma patients are diagnosed before their 2nd birthday, and many lose
their sight due to this disease. Outside of the United States, advanced
retinoblastoma is an even greater clinical challenge in developing countries,
where the mortality rate among children diagnosed with advanced metastatic
retinoblastoma is as high as 80%.
Our laboratory mission is to understand the molecular mechanisms
associated with retinoblastoma progression in order to facilitate the
identification of novel therapeutic targets. We are accomplishing our
mission by studying both genetic and epigenetic changes that occur during
retinoblastoma progression in human retinoblastoma tumors, and in
retinoblastoma model systems. Defining these changes is particularly
valuable for the purposes of identifying novel targets for chemotherapeutic
interventions.