Timchenko Research Lab

The Timchenko Lab applies comprehensive basic science approaches to investigate the molecular mechanisms of liver cancer. Liver cancer is the result of multiple alterations in several signaling pathways which are usually developed on the background of chronic liver diseases. The development of liver cancer in adults (hepatocellular carcinoma, HCC) has a long trajectory, while hepatoblastoma (HBL) is the pediatric liver disease, which affects children in the first three years of life. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are elevated in HCC and might be the main source of cancer. However, very little is known about molecular mechanisms of the appearance/elevation of CSCs in the liver. The goal of the lab's work is to elucidate molecular mechanisms of hepatocellular carcinoma and hepatoblastoma with the focus on hepatic stem cells and CSCs as the origin of both.