Research in the laboratory of Tushar C. Patel, M.B., Ch.B., focuses on liver epithelial cell biology, with an emphasis on understanding the role and regulation of noncoding RNA genes in the pathogenesis of liver and biliary tract cancers. An area of emphasis is the study of cellular and molecular mechanisms by which dysregulation of cell survival signaling pathways contributes to disease pathogenesis in hepatobiliary cancers.
Dr. Patel is particularly interested in the roles of extracellular vesicles and extracellular RNA in fundamental processes involved in liver cancers. In conjunction with the Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund, Dr. Patel and his group are exploring novel biomarkers. Based on this research, they are developing new treatments and exploring new paradigms of disease.