Peter J. Park

Peter J. Park

BMI Program Director
Professor of Biomedical Informatics
Peter J. Park

Mutational processes in cancer and normal cells; development of computational methods for genome and epigenome analysis.

We employ computational and statistical approaches to study various types of somatic mutations that arise in cancer cells and neurons. We are particularly interested in large-scale analysis of genome and epigenome sequencing data to investigate the role of non-coding mutations and mosaic mutations (present in a subpopulation of cells) as potential causes of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, respectively.

To comprehensively identify somatic mutations, we have developed algorithms for various structural variations in whole-genome sequencing data, including copy number variation, complex structural variations, retrotransposition, and microsatellite instability. To study the role of non-coding mutations, we utilize histone modification and higher-order chromosomal interaction data. To detect extremely low-frequency mutations, we take advantage of single cell whole-genome DNA sequencing, which requires new computational approaches to account for amplification-associated artifacts.

We have played a major role in several large NIH consortia in the past, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the model organism Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE). We are part of the Harvard Ludwig Center, a group of investigators interested in developing strategies to overcome resistance to cancer therapies, and two NIH consortia—Brain Somatic Mosaicism Network for studying the genetic architecture of neuropsychiatric disorders and the 4D Nucleome Network for understanding the principles behind nuclear organization in space and time and its role in cellular function. These projects offer unprecedented opportunities for deriving biological insights from bioinformatic analysis of complex data sets.

We benefit from our interactions with a fabulous set of collaborators at HMS, including Mitzi Kuroda, Steve Elledge, Chris Walsh, Konrad Hochedlinger, George Daley, Fred Winston, and Bob Kingston. We welcome BBS rotation students with strong quantitative and programming skills. Joint thesis supervision with an experimentalist is a possibility.

Contact Information

Harvard Medical School
Countway Library Room 318
10 Shattuck St.
Boston, MA 02115
p: 617-432-7373

Community or Program Affiliation

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