Navin Laboratory
Nicholas Navin, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
Areas of Research
- Genomics
- Breast Cancer
- Genetics
Welcome to the Navin Laboratory at MD Anderson Cancer Center. We are a cancer genomics and computational biology research lab. Our laboratory has pioneered the development of single cell sequencing technologies. We apply these tools to study complex biological processes that occur in human cancers including transformation, clonal evolution, invasion, metastasis and chemoresistance evolution. These processes have previously been difficult to study with genomic technologies using bulk tissues.
Scroll Ahead
Research Focus
The efforts of our laboratory are split evenly between experimental and computational biology. We develop new experimental methods to sequence single cells and isolate rare subpopulations and develop new analytical approaches to detect variants and apply statistical methods to these data sets.
How is single-cell sequencing accelerating progress against cancer?
Up until recently, DNA and RNA sequences were determined through bulk sequencing techniques that averaged the amount of genetic material among all the cells in a given sample. But that all changed in 2011, when MD Anderson¡¯s Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., chair of Systems Biology, pioneered a new method of isolating an individual tumor cell within a sample and amplifying its genetic sequences. This made it possible to analyze each cell separately.
Single-Cell Sequencing Pioneer Wins AAAS Wachtel Cancer Research Award
The first method for sequencing the genome of an individual cell - which has give scientists a new view into the inner workings of tumors - started as a side project during Nicholas Navin's graduate career.
Navin Lab in Action
Awards & Accolades
-
Appointed to the Grady F. Saunders, Ph.D. Distinguished Professorship for Molecular Biology
2021
-
AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Basic Cancer Research
2021
-
Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Sciences
2020
-
MD Anderson President¡¯s Award for Research Excellence
2019
-
Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dallas Forth Worth Living Legend Faculty Achievement Award in Basic Research
2018
-
Jack and Beveraly Randall Prize for Excellence in Cancer Treatment
2017
-
ACS Research Scholar
2016
-
Sabin Family Fellowship
2016
-
President's Achievement Award
2016
-
AAAS Wachtel Prize for Young Scientists
2015
-
Faculty Educator Award
2014
-
Wilson Stone Award
2013
-
T.C. Hsu Award for Young Investigators
2013
-
Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation
2012
-
Young Investigator Award
2010