Elucidating the mechanistic link between the circadian clock and cancer

Circadian clocks generate daily rhythms to enhance the fitness of virtually all living organisms. Disruption of these rhythms has been implicated in increased cancer risks. However, how dysregulation of circadian rhythms increases cancer risks remains poorly understood. This research project will investigate the mechanistic link between the mammalian circadian clock and cancer. This research holds the long-term potential to combine chronotherapy (timing of therapeutic administration) with immunotherapy and traditional methods such as radiation and chemotherapy to combat cancer. This research program will leverage state-of-art biophysical techniques, including cryo-EM, NMR, and X-ray crystallography.