Prerna Malaney, PhD

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is frequently diagnosed when it has already spread to other parts of the body. When caught early, 65% of patients survive for five years, but if the cancer has spread, only 12% survive that long. This makes it critical to understand what causes CRC to spread and find better ways to treat it. Cancer spreads when certain genes become more or less active. Scientists have mostly studied how genes are turned on and off, but recent research shows that another process, called post-transcriptional regulation, is also important. This refers to all the steps that happen between when a gene is copied into RNA to when it is turned into a protein. These steps, such as modifying, transporting, or breaking down RNA, add another layer of control over how much of a protein a cell makes. RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) help manage this process. But when RBPs don’t work properly, cancer cells may grow and spread more easily. We will use a genetic screening method to find all RBPs that play a role in cancer spread. By studying these proteins, we hope to better understand how CRC spreads and discover new ways to stop it.