Research in the Wong Lab focuses on understanding the pathogenesis and genetic alterations involved in lung cancer and on testing novel lung cancer therapeutics in vivo. Our laboratory integrates genomic studies of human lung cancer, new mouse models of lung cancers, and studies of novel drug treatment in these models.

To understand the genetic role of mutated oncogenes such as KRAS, BRAF, HER2, and EGFR in lung cancer, our laboratory has generated various inducible bi-transgenic mice harboring these mutations. We previously demonstrated that activation of EGFR and BRAF are oncogenic in vivo, because mice expressing these activated alleles develop lung tumors de novo. These mouse models have allowed us to characterize novel mechanisms of lung carcinogenesis and serve as unique platforms for testing therapeutics that specifically target these pathways.

Beyond lung cancer, our interests have been extended to other cancer types including prostatic, colorectal, gastric, and bladder cancers. We are currently creating novel animal models for related studies.