Interview with Dr. Jean-Pierre Issa

Jean-Pierre Issa sitting in an office

Department of Leukemia
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Dr. Issa's research focuses on the epigenetics of cancer.  The term epigenetics refers to events that can change how a gene functions without changing the DNA sequence of the gene.  The changes can be slight chemical modifications to the DNA itself or modifications to the the proteins in which the DNA is packaged.  In this interview, Dr. Issa explains epigenetics and the way that epigenetic changes can influence cancer development.  Epigenetic changes are also an important target for potential cancer drugs.