Albertson Lab

Full Biosketch: Donna G. Albertson, PhD

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(415) 502-7228 (lab); (415) 514-2678 (asst)
(415) 502-3179 (fax)

1450 3rd St., MC 0128; PO Box 589001
San Francisco, CA 94158-9001

deliveries: 1450 3rd Street, HD-330; San Francisco, CA 94158

Molecular and Cytogenetic Analysis of Genetic Alterations in Cancer

Current research is focused on the development and application of microarray technology for use with comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to map DNA sequence copy number aberrations in cancer. In its initial application, array CGH has shown that complex copy number changes occur on chromosome 20 in breast cancer. In addition, by using overlapping clones as array targets it is possible to map copy number profiles across an amplified region and identify the genomic regions at highest copy number, or regions where copy number is changing rapidly. This information can then be applied to help to identify the critical gene(s) in the region and/or provide information on the amplification process. For example, selection for more copies of the critical or “driver” gene may result in highest copy number at that locus. On the other hand, variation in copy number across an amplified region of the genome may reflect the mechanism of amplification such that the boundaries of the region of copy number increase may indicate regions prone to breakage and/or rearrangement. Array CGH is currently being applied to identify genes mapping to regions recurrently at abnormal copy number in human and murine tumors and to the study of the amplification process in model systems.