Easwaran Hariharan

Tumor initiation and development occur not necessarily by genetic changes alone, but in the context of the epigenome and the cell microenvironment. Various normal physiological (cell divisions, aging) and non-physiological (environmental exposures) stresses cause epigenetic alterations which may play a very early role in tumor initiation. My work focuses on understanding evolution of epigenetic mechanisms involved in cancer development and translating these to methods for early detection.