Judson-Torres
Rob Judson-Torres, PhD
Rob Judson-Torres, PhD
I have a long-standing interest in the transcriptional reprogramming of mammalian cells including:
i) How individual cells within a multicellular organism retain their “program” of morphologies and behaviors in complex and noisy environments and;
ii) How these programs become destabilized and eventually replaced.
I first pursed this interest as a graduate student at the University of California, San Francisco where I focused on the mechanisms of induced pluripotency. I discovered that coordinated co-inhibition of innate transcriptional programs in skin cells results in de-differentiation into a default state of pluripotency without introduction of transcriptional activators. I then began to consider the implications of my discovery for tumorigenesis. If cellular plasticity is a default state reached when a series of transcriptional barriers are simultaneously lost, then a comprehensive understanding of each unique network of barriers in each cancer cell type of origin would permit rational design of both biomarkers to predict risk of transformation and candidate chemoprevention agents.
My research group, therefore, focuses on:
i) Identifying the precise cells of origin, and their genetic and transcriptomic states, for melanoma subtypes and how the transcriptional programs of these cells change with initiation and;
ii) Providing a rich, welcoming, and rigorous training experience for our graduate students and post-docs.
Our mission is to cure melanoma through prevention and interception.
Our method is to provide the support and environment necessary for motivated trainees to pursue their unique research interests and career goals.
Where I’m from: Pennsylvania farm boy born & raised -> Connecticut (Wesleyan University) -> Tri-state area (NIH) -> Bay Area, CA (UCSF) -> SLC, UT
Hobbies: Hiking, running, board gaming, building, time with my daughters.
Contact: robert.judson-torres@hci.utah.edu