Dennis Hsu, MD

My current research interest is to understand the molecular underpinnings that drive oncogenesis and cancer cell fitness. My current research explores how nutrients in the cancer microenvironment affect gene expression and cancer genome evolution. By using a combination of computational modeling, wet-lab experiments involving cancer cell starvation including RNA sequencing, metabolite profiling, and proteomic profiling, our current work has focused in on transfer RNAs and how they help cancer cells adapt to nutritional cues in the environment. Future work will focus on downstream effectors that help cancer cells adapt to starvation stress.

My clinical interest is in gastrointestinal cancers including: colorectal cancer, small bowel cancer, appendix cancer, pancreas cancer, biliary tract cancers, and anal cancers. I have also been privileged to take care of individuals with cancers of unknown primary.