Daniel Tenen, MD

Lab Head

Daniel G. Tenen, National University of Singapore

I was born and raised in Southern California, attended UCLA with a major in Applied Math and Physical Chemistry and Harvard Medical School, with postdoctoral research training in the laboratory of David Livingston at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, as well as clinical training with a residency in internal medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Board Certification in Medical Oncology at Dana Farber. I established my own independent laboratory in 1984 at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.
For the past 38 years my lab has studied gene regulation in normal differentiation and cancer, initially with a focus on myeloid development and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). My laboratory has contributed to understanding the role of transcription factors in cell differentiation and disruption of these pathways in leukemia, lung cancer, and liver cancer. Current efforts include basic studies understanding gene regulation with an aim to manipulate gene expression in in normal and cancer stem cells as well as exploiting differences as a basis for targeted stem cell therapy. In addition, more recently I have collaborated with Li Chai on the role of the stem cell oncofetal protein SALL4 in leukemia and solid tumors, especially liver cancer.
Early in my career, I focused on the role of transcription factors (DNA binding proteins) in normal hematopoiesis and leukemia. In the last 15 years, I have moved my focus to the role of nuclear long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Current efforts include studies on lncRNAs in regulation of transcription of mRNAs; epigenetic memory; DNA replication, correction of trinucleotide repeat diseases, and in this proposal DNA methylation and gene regulation.