UT Health San Antonio

Alexander Pertsemlidis, Ph.D.

Professor

Department of Pediatrics

Currently seeking Ph.D. students

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs ( lncRNAs) are critical regulators of cell viability and drug response in both adult and pediatric cancers. Focusing on ncRNA-mediated cell-cell communication, my laboratory aims to develop non-invasive methods for the early detection of cancer and novel therapeutic agents. Our investigations are uncovering novel mechanisms of regulating intracellular signaling pathways — through the identification of ncRNAs that have direct therapeutic applications or through the elucidation of pathways that can be targeted through more traditional pharmacological interventions — and providing novel drug candidates for cancer treatment and novel, non-invasive biomarkers for predicting patient survival and personalizing treatment. While the high-throughput and high-content screens we employ have historically relied on reverse transfection of arrayed siRNAs, miRNA mimics, and miRNA and lncRNA inhibitors, the recent advances in genome editing now allow more precise dissection of the genes and networks responsible for changes in phenotype.