ABOUT

Olorunseun Ogunwobi is the Barnett Rosenberg Professor and Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Michigan State University, and Co-Director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity Research (CCHER). A translational cancer biologist, his research investigates molecular mechanisms driving solid organ cancers, including the role of PVT1. 

He earned his medical degree from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and advanced degrees from the University of Hull, University of Florida, and University of East Anglia. 

RESEARCH

Research in the Ogunwobi laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression of solid organ cancers with established disparities. Studies are elucidating the role of the non-protein coding gene plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 (PVT1) in the development and progression of solid organ cancers such as prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and osteosarcoma. These studies are delineating the upstream regulatory mechanisms of PVT1 overexpression and the downstream molecular mechanisms of action of PVT1. The recent discovery by the lab that colorectal cancer in individuals of African ancestry is characterized by upregulation of TACSTD2 has led to a new interest in understanding the role TACSTD2 plays in colorectal carcinogenesis.