The major focus of the Wong lab is to investigate the roles of different stem cell populations during hair follicle development, wound healing and tumorigenesis. Our previous work revealed that wounding can recruit oncogene-expressing stem cells from a hair follicle niche into sites of injury, where they subsequently give rise to tumors resembling basal cell carcinomas (BCCs), the most common cancer in North America. Our current work is now focused on understanding the migratory factors that promote the trafficking of hair follicle stem cells to wound sites and the regenerative behavior of these cells once they have reached their destination. We are also interested in studying the signaling pathways that mediate BCC carcinogenesis, including Hedgehog, Wnt and Notch, as well as other factors that impinge upon transduction of these networks. Finally, we are examining BCC tumor progression in the context of normal hair follicle development -- comparing and contrasting these two processes as a possible means of gaining novel insights.
NIH Grants:
- The Hair Follicle Infundibulum: A Potential Mediator of Skin Barrier Function (NIH/NCI 5R01AR065409; PI: Wong)
- Inhibiting Basal Cell Carcinoma by Promoting Cellular Differentiation (NIH/NCI 5R21CA209166; PI: Wong)
