My lab explores two biomedical themes. One series of projects probes molecular networks that regulate cell death in vivo through exploration and discovery of relevant genetic determinants. We examine gene-directed programs that specify programmed and unprogrammed cell death.  Our approaches primarily include whole animal screens and high throughput gene silencing platforms in the Drosophila model.  A second organizing theme is designed to illuminate functional principles underlying noncanonical transcription, genome organization and ‘noncoding’ RNAs.  Our focus for these studies examines activity in the p53 regulatory network, which is deranged in most human cancers.