Molecular Oncology & Cancer Genetics

Our Molecular Oncology Laboratory provides nucleic acid-based tests for cancer diagnosis and management of patients with cancer. Select this link for information regarding specific tests available in the Molecular Oncology Laboratory. The laboratory is CLIA-certified (CLIA ID No. 05D0965843) and licensed by the State of California (CLF 11613). The laboratory participates in CAP proficiency testing and interlaboratory comparision programs. We are registered in the GeneTests genetic testing resource and in the NCI CancerNet Directory.

The research activities in the laboratory address important issues in clinical molecular oncology and basic cancer research. Areas of study range from technology development for mutation detection to examination of genes and their expression patterns in tumor tissue removed at surgery. The mechanisms by which cancer cells selectively activate specific genes is a principal focus of research in the laboratory.

The laboratory is part of Huntington Medical Research Institutes, a private research organization located in Pasadena, California. The laboratory works closely with the medical staff of Huntington Memorial Hospital, and also interacts with investigators at the California Institute of Technology studying a broad spectrum of cancer-related topics.

The laboratory director is Faye A. Eggerding, M.D., Ph.D., who is board certified in molecular genetics and cytogenetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics, and has over twenty years experience in molecular diagnostics, molecular biology and pathology. Before coming to Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Dr. Eggerding was a Staff Research Scientist at Perkin Elmer-Applied Biosystems where she developed the oligonucleotide ligation and coupled amplification-ligation techniques for mutation screening in inherited disorders and acquired cancers. Prior to this, Dr. Eggerding spent ten years on the faculty of the UCLA School of Medicine in the Department of Pathology, where she directed a research program on the molecular biology of viral carcinogenesis. You can e-mail Dr. Eggerding at eggerding@hmri.org.