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Peter Ly, Ph.D.

Peter Ly, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

School
Medical School
Department
Pathology | Cell Biology
Graduate Programs
Cancer Biology, Genetics, Development and Disease
  • Biography

    The Ly Laboratory studies the causes and consequences of genomic instability in the context of cancer development. Cancer cells frequently harbor complex genomes that are characterized by numerical and structural chromosomal abnormalities. Our laboratory is currently investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms that shape the chaotic mutational landscape of cancer genomes. We are particularly interested in a class of complex genome rearrangements generated by the catastrophic shattering of individual chromosomes. This process – termed chromothripsis – is initiated by mitotic cell division errors in which mis-segregated chromosomes become spatially entrapped within aberrant nuclear structures called micronuclei. DNA damage and DNA replication defects within micronuclei trigger the shattering of the mis-segregated chromosome into tens to hundreds of genomic fragments. Attempts by error-prone DNA repair pathways to reassemble the shattered fragments result in the formation of highly rearranged chromosomes with extensive DNA copy-number alterations. Chromothripsis exemplifies a rapid mutational process in which numerous genetic lesions can be acquired within a few cell cycles, ranging from the simultaneous inactivation of multiple tumor suppressor genes to the production of extrachromosomal DNA with amplified oncogenes. Our long-term goal is to understand how mitotic errors, micronuclei, and chromothripsis contribute to cancer genome instability, tumorigenesis, and resistance to anti-cancer therapeutics.

    Our research program employs a number of interdisciplinary approaches bridging molecular cell biology and genetics, including CRISPR/Cas9 screens, high-resolution fixed- and live-cell microscopy, cytogenetics, and genomics. We also strive to create a supportive, diverse, and inclusive laboratory environment aimed at offering exceptional training and career development opportunities for fellows and students.

    Peter Ly received his B.A. in Biology from Baylor University and Ph.D. in Cancer Biology from UT Southwestern Medical Center. During graduate training with Jerry Shay and Woodring Wright, he studied how aneuploidy – an abnormal number of chromosomes – promotes malignant transformation. He conducted postdoctoral training at the University of California San Diego and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research with Don Cleveland, where he developed chromosome-specific mis-segregation approaches to reconstruct the mechanisms leading to complex structural genomic rearrangements in human somatic cells. In 2019, Dr. Ly joined the faculty of UT Southwestern Medical Center as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research. He holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Cell Biology and is a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center as part of the Cellular Networks in Cancer Program. He has been an active member of the American Society for Cell Biology since 2013.

     
    Undergraduate
    Baylor University (2008), Biology
     
    Graduate School
    University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2012), Cancer Biology
     
    Postdoctoral Fellowship
    University of California San Diego, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (2019), Cell Biology

  • Research Interest
    • Cell cycle and cell division
    • Chromosome rearrangements
    • DNA damage response and repair
    • Genomic instability in cancer
    • Mechanisms of chromothripsis
  • Publications

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  • Honors & Awards
    • American Cancer Society - Institutional Research Grant Award
      (2022)
    • Early-Career Investigator, DoD Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators
      (2022)
    • UT Southwestern Haberecht Wildhare-Idea Research Award
      (2022)
    • UT Southwestern Circle of Friends Research Award
      (2020)
    • CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research, Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas
      (2019)
    • Forbeck Scholar, William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation
      (2019)
    • James Kerr Award for Research Excellence, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
      (2017)
    • NIH/NCI Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
      (2017)
    • Hope Funds for Cancer Research Fellow
      (2014)
    • NIH/NCI Cancer Cell Biology Postdoctoral Training Grant Award
      (2013)
    • CPRIT Predoctoral Training Grant Award, Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas
      (2010)
    • Jack G. and Norma Jean Folmar Research Scholarship, Baylor University
      (2007)
    • Rubin and Sarah Shaps Scholar, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
      (2007)
  • Professional Associations/Affiliations
    • American Society for Cell Biology (2013)
    • Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (2019)