We are an experimental research group in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. Our laboratory is focused on using mass spectrometry-based proteomics to discover new biology and develop therapeutic targets in hematologic malignancies (blood cancers) and genetic disease.
Our major hypothesis is that “biology happens at the protein level” – i.e. RNA-level analysis is not enough. This is particularly true when investigating biological signatures driven by protein post-translational modifications, protein-protein interactions, and altered sub-cellular localization.
To achieve these goals, our inter-disciplinary group aims to integrate proteomics-based screening with “multi-omics” bioinformatics, clinical data, epigenetic methods, genome engineering, antibody engineering, cellular engineering, chemical biology, and mechanistic biology. In particular, significant efforts in the lab are focused on using cell surface proteomics in combination with emerging technologies in our group to develop novel cancer immunotherapies. We are part of the UCSF Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, the UCSF Dept. of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, and affiliated with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
In his clinical work as a molecular pathologist, Dr. Wiita interprets all DNA microarray testing for diagnosis of DNA copy number variants causative of genetic disease in the prenatal and postnatal settings. We aim to use genome engineering and induced pluripotent stem cell technologies to develop novel models of these conditions and evaluate their impact on neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.
The UCSF Stephen and Nancy Grand Multiple Myeloma Translational Initiative Laboratory is also housed within our group. In this capacity, we aim to push forward the development and validation of new therapeutic strategies in multiple myeloma, a currently incurable malignancy of plasma cells and the second most common hematologic malignancy in the United States.