Prof. Yardena Samuels
The research of Prof. Yardena Samuels focuses on cancer genomics and immuno-genomics in melanoma. In her postdoctoral work, Prof. Samuels discovered a gene that mutated in 32% of colorectal cancer patients as well as many other human cancers. In her current research, Prof. Samuels uses the power of DNA sequencing to identify new groups of genetic mutations involved in melanoma, and to differentiate these from “passengers”—genetic abnormalities that play no role in tumorigenesis. In another aspect of her work, Prof. Samuels is examining interactions between melanoma and immune T-cells, and has developed tools to identify and characterize melanoma neo-antigens—an approach that may eventually contribute to the development of anti-cancer vaccines and personalized treatment.