The Kawasumi Lab investigates the molecular mechanisms of UV-induced DNA damage responses and skin carcinogenesis to improve the prevention and treatment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) and melanoma. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most prevalent carcinogen in humans, responsible for over 5 million skin cancer cases annually in the United States. UV exposure induces both genetic mutations and epigenetic abnormalities that affect the expression of cancer-relevant genes, but how these epigenetic changes contribute to skin malignancies remains unclear. Using genome and epigenome editing tools, the Kawasumi Lab aims to elucidate the role of epigenetic abnormalities in malignant transformation, with the goal of developing novel therapeutic strategies to target epigenetic aberrations and inhibit cSCC (funded by the National Cancer Institute).