His seminar, entitled "Role of MicroRNA and its Therapeutic Applications in Cancer," is part of the Purdue Cancer Center for Research's seminar series.

Abstract: MicroRNAs (miRNA) are endogenously encoded, small non-coding RNA molecules that regulate global gene expression and are critical in maintaining cellular homeostasis. A single miRNA regulates hundreds of genes, often encoding multiple components of complex intracellular networks. Thus, misregulation of an individual miRNA can have a profound impact on cellular physiology and lead to disease. It is now well established that miRNAs play a critical role in signaling pathways associated with cancer pathogenesis. Virtually all examined cancer types are characterized by abnormal miRNA expression patterns and specific miRNAs are known to act as oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Furthermore, numerous functional studies have demonstrated the pro- and anti-tumorigenic activity of specific miRNAs and their therapeutic potential to suppress tumor growth. We have previously demonstrated that replacement of a single miRNA whose expression is frequently lost in liver tumors, dramatically protected tumor progression with no toxicity and off-target effects. To expand these findings to other cancers, our current efforts are focused on understanding the role of miRNAs in stroma associated with pancreatic cancer and exploring their therapeutic applicability. I will present our latest findings on the role of miRNAs in cancer and their potential use in developing novel miRNA based anti-cancer drugs.