Reprogramming Stars #20:Attenuating Cancer Cell Memory and Discovering Cancer Biomarkers with Cellular Reprogramming—An Interview with Dr. Jungsun Kim

REPROGRAMMING STAR: Dr. Jungsun Kim is a member of the Early Detection Advanced Research Center and Cancer Biology Program at Knight Cancer Institute, Oregan, USA. Her research group is interested in the reversibility of regulatory mechanisms in cancer development and progression, with the long-term goal of applying the generated knowledge in early cancer therapy. Defined combinations of transcription factors (TFs) can reprogram somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) through epigenetic rewiring of the landscape of “starting” somatic cells, established by cell fate decisions during normal development. Dr. Kim’s lab explores TF-mediated reprogramming to rewire and reverse aberrant epigenetic alterations in cancer cells. They have demonstrated proof of principle of a pancreatic cancer reprogramming model, providing a unique platform to study different stages of human pancreatic cancer. Essentially, Dr. Kim’s research group addresses the following questions: To what extent and reproducibility aberrant cancer transcriptional networks can be destabilized through TF-mediated reprogramming? How do cells that fail reprogramming regain an aggressive tumor phenotype? What chromatin regulators maintain a cancer cell state? Addressing these questions can provide understanding of how cancer cells establish and maintain cancer identity.