The research of my laboratory focuses on two directions highly relevant to cancer biology, (1) the molecular basis of programmed cell death processes (including apoptosis and ferroptosis), and their roles in human disease; and (2) the molecular basis of autophagy and its role in cancer. We also study various cancer signaling and cellular metabolic events, especially those involved in cell death/survival determination. We aim to translate our basic research finding into potential therapeutic approaches. To achieve these goals, the laboratory utilizes a combination of approaches including biochemistry, chemical biology, proteomics, molecular cell biology, high-throughput screening, 3-dimensional microfluidic cell array, and mouse modeling.