Barbara Stranger, PhD
Associate Professor, Pharmacology
Research Program
Cancer-Focused Research
The goal of Dr. Strangerâs research is to understand how genetic and genomic variation contributes to complex disease, and how that varies by sex. Her cancer research is motivated by the observation that nearly all common cancers exhibit some form of sexual dimorphism, for example in incidence, prognosis, tumor aggressiveness, or response to treatment. This dimorphism has been hypothesized to derive from differences between males and females in hormones, sex chromosomes, and environmental exposures; however the molecular basis of these disparities remains largely uninvestigated. Dr. Strangerâs research group is investigating the molecular basis of sexual dimorphism within and across cancers by leveraging their expertise in statistical genetics and genomics to examine sexual dimorphism at the molecular systems genomics level in tumors, in the contribution of germline genetic variation to cancer risk, and in the genetic and genomic mechanisms contributing to sexual dimorphism in response to therapeutics. An understanding of this dimorphism is fundamental to precision medicine initiatives in cancer, and may lead to discovery of novel biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and improved outcomes. Thus the ultimate goal of her research is to translate this new knowledge into cancer healthcare.