Kratz Lab - Homepage
Johannes R. Kratz, MD
Associate Professor of Surgery
Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology
Director, Minimally Invasive and Robotic Thoracic Surgery
Director, Thoracic Surgery Residency Program
Medical Director of Robotic Surgery, UCSF Health
The Kratz lab focuses on the genetic and immunological mechanisms that drive early-stage, surgically resectable thoracic malignancies. These malignancies include lung cancer, esophageal cancer, and thymic cancer. The lab uses novel high-throughput “-omics” techniques such as genomic DNA and RNA sequencing, proteomics, and metabolomics to unravel the complex nature of early-stage thoracic malignancies. At the same time, the lab actively investigates the complex immunological landscapes that nurture the growth of these malignancies. The knowledge gained from these investigations is being used to identify novel therapeutic targets and therapies for patients with early-stage, yet deadly thoracic malignancies.
In Dr. Kratz’s lab, both the genetic as well as the immunological landscapes of early-stage high-risk tumors are currently being investigated. Using the latest DNA / RNA sequencing and gene expression techniques combined with a bioinformatics-driven systems biology approach, the lab is comparing the different features of low- vs. high-risk early-stage lung cancer in order to gain a better understanding of the genetic nature of high-risk stage I lung cancer. The lab also utilizes cutting-edge immunological profiling techniques to investigate immune responses generated by certain patients that nurture high-risk disease.
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