Dr. Ralf Kittler gained extensive expertise in human genetics, molecular and cell biology, cancer biology, genomics and systems biology from undergraduate training with Dr. Mark Stoneking at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany) from 2000-2002, graduate training with Dr. Frank Buchholz at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Dresden, Germany) from 2002-2006 and from postdoctoral training with Dr. Kevin White at the Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology of the University of Chicago from 2006-2010.
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Dr. Ralf Kittler gained extensive expertise in human genetics, molecular and cell biology, cancer biology, genomics and systems biology from undergraduate training with Dr. Mark Stoneking at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (Leipzig, Germany) from 2000-2002, graduate training with Dr. Frank Buchholz at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Dresden, Germany) from 2002-2006 and from postdoctoral training with Dr. Kevin White at the Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology of the University of Chicago from 2006-2010.
Since starting his own laboratory at UT Southwestern in 2010 he has been developing a research program that aims to understand the role of aberrant transcriptional regulation in the generation and maintenance of common solid tumors. The generous support from a recruitment award of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and the John L. Roach Scholarship in Biomedical Research of the Endowed Scholars Program at UT Southwestern have enabled Dr. Kittler to develop an innovative cancer research program.
The ultimate goal of his research is to develop novel therapeutic approaches that target transcription factors, which play important roles in common solid tumors (brain, breast, lung and prostate cancer) and could therefore have translational potential. For that purpose, Dr. Kittler’s research utilizes (1) sequencing-based genomic techniques and related computational approaches to characterize the gene regulatory networks of transcription factors in cancer; (2) genetic screening and proteomics to identify ‘druggable’ modulators of transcription factor activity and stability; (3) chemical library screening to identify small molecules that affect transcription factor activity and/or stability; (4) biochemistry and cell biology to characterize properties and functions of transcription factors, their modulators and target genes; and (5) in vivo experiments to test the effects of transcription factor targeting on tumor growth.
Dr. Kittler also serves as the Director of the McDermott Next Generation Sequencing Core and participates in the training of graduate students in the Cancer Biology program of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UTSW.
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