Vincent E Sollars

Research Overview
My research is focused on the investigation of the role of epigenetics in hematopoietic cell fate decisions as they pertain to myeloid leukemias. In these investigations, I use the mouse model system to examine stem and progenitors cells in bone marrow. We employ a variety of techniques including mammalian cell culture, flow cytometry, colony forming cell assays, and traditional molecular biology. In keeping with the goal of my scientific career of providing research that increases our understanding of oncogenesis, my research focuses on the study of the epigenetic factors associated with oncogenesis using the mouse as a model system. In this aim, I am employing approaches that exploit the strengths of the mouse, while drawing upon my expertise in the Drosophila model system to pursue collaborations that will be complementary to my research.
The goals of my research are:
To identify factors responsible for epigenetics “marks” (including DNA methylation and histone modification) that are important to oncogenesis to produce diagnostic tools.
To study the role of epigenetics as an enabling mechanism in oncogenesis to enable new therapeutic approaches.
To elucidate the effects of omega 3 fatty acids on hematopoiesis and the epigenetic mechanisms involved.