Jian-Jun Wei, MD
Northwestern University
MiR-182 Overexpression in Early Tumorigenesis of High Grade Serous Carcinoma
High grade papillary serous carcinoma may arise from serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma in the fallopian tube. MiR-182 is a small RNA molecule that is significantly overexpressed in both types of carcinomas. Dr. Wei hypothesizes that miR-182 overexpression is a critical and early molecular change in papillary serous carcinoma. He will use normal fallopian tube secretory epithelial (FTSE) cell lines to investigate whether adding miR-182 in large amounts will result in tumors and whether miR-182 causes tumors via target genes BNC2 and MTSS1 known to be involved in papillary serous carcinoma. The results will provide a new marker in early detection and a potential therapeutic target for PSC.