Le, Lu Q
Primary Appointment
Professor, Dermatology
Education
- M.D., Medical Scientist Training Program, UCLA School of Medicine
- Ph.D., Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, UCLA School of Medicine
- Residency, Dermatology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
- Fellowship, Cancer Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Contact Information
1221 Lee Street, PCC Rm 3512
Charlottesville, Virginia 22908
Telephone: 434-243-0582
Email: bkn6qd@uvahealth.org
Website: https://med.virginia.edu/le-lab/
Research Disciplines
Annual Research Fair, Biology, Cancer Biology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Development, Stem Cells & Regeneration, Experimental Pathology, Genetics, Molecular Biology
Research Interests
Cancer Biology, Tumor Cell of Origin and Tumor Microenvironment, Neurofibromatosis and Schwann Cell Biology, Skin and Hair Stem Cell Biology & Regeneration
Research Description
Dr. Le’s research focuses on neural-crest derived tissue development, regeneration and tumorigenesis, in particular the biology of neurofibromatosis. His laboratory investigates how genetic and tumor microenvironmental factors interplay to regulate cancer development, concentrating on: (1) identifying the cells of origin of tumorigenesis, and (2) elucidating the roles of tumor microenvironment in cancer development. His laboratory dissects these cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis from the developmental perspective. They utilize Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a common tumor predisposition human genetic disorder, as a model to address these two fundamental questions of cancer biology. A major contribution of Dr. Le’s laboratory has been the generation of novel neurofibromatosis models that decipher mechanisms initiating Schwann cell tumor development and driving their malignant transformation. It was this work in neurofibromatosis and mechanisms whereby neural-crest derived tissues and nerves can affect tumor development in skin and other tissues that serendipitously lead Dr. Le’s research group to uncover the identity of follicular epithelial cells that give rise to hair and mechanisms that cause hair to turn gray – findings that could one day help identify possible treatments for balding and hair graying.