Dr. Ana M. Aparicio

Associate Member

M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Genitourinary Medical Oncology

Research Interests:

• Epigenetics
• DNA methylation
• DNA methylation inhibitors
• Histone deacetylase inhibitors
• Prostate cancer
• Genitourinary malignancies

The goal of our research is to understand epigenetic mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of genitourinary malignancies, with a special interest in prostate cancer, to be able to target them with the new epigenetic therapies that are emerging. One of our main interests is to develop biomarkers that will permit the optimal application of the new epigenetic drugs in the treatment of solid tumors in general, and genitourinary
malignancies in particular. Current studies in our laboratory focus on the use of LINE methylation as a biomarker of activity of DNA methylation inhibitors in patients with solid tumors and in developing an understanding at the molecular level of the different clinical phenotypes that prostate cancers exhibit.

A tutorial with us would provide experience with DNA and RNA extraction from human tissues, bisulfite conversion of DNA, PCR and related assays and Pyrosequencing.

Selected Publications:

Egger G, Aparicio AM, Escobar SG, Jones PA (2007) Inhibition of histone deacetylation does not block resilencing ofp16 after 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment. Cancer Res. Jan 1;67(1 ):346-53.

Aparicio A (2006) The potential of histone deacetylase inhibitors in lung cancer. Clin Lung Cancer. Mar;7(5):309-12.

Aparicio AM, Elkhouiery AB, Quinn DI (2005) The current and future application of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy in patients with bladder cancer following cystectomy. Urol Clin North Am. May;32(2):217-30, vii.

Egger G, Liang G, Aparicio A, Jones PA (2004) Epigenetics in human disease and prospects for epigenetic therapy. Nature. May 27;429(6990):457-63.

Aparicio A, Eads CA, Leong LA, Laird PW, Newman EM, Synold TW, Baker SD, Zhao M, Weber JS (2003) Phase I trial of continuous infusion 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Cancer Chemother Pharmacal. 2003 Mar;51(3):231-9.

Aparicio A, Weber JS (2002) Review of the clinical experience with 5-azacytidine and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine in solid tumors. Curr Opin Investig Drugs. Apr;3(4):627-33.

Additional Publications