Dr. Owen's overall focus is to determine the contributions of stem cells and differentiated cells to the development and progression of epidermal squamous cancer. Four specific areas of investigation include: i) defining the mechanism of how aberrant expression of the ?6?4 integrin receptor can disrupt TGF-? mediated growth inhibition thereby altering the epidermal tumor microenvironment and stimulating tumor cell progression and metastasis; ii) identifying and characterizing subpopulations of clonogenic, multipotent stem cells in normal and neoplastic epidermis with differing malignant potentials in order to determine the significance of target cell phenotype in the formation of epidermal squamous cancers, iii) defining the requirement for cell surface proteins, which normally regulate immune tolerance, in the homing and invasion of malignant epidermal keratinocytes, and iv) investigating the role of L-3-phosphoserine phosphatase in UV-induced keratinocyte apoptosis and carcinogenesis.

Board Certified
Education	Doctor of Philosophy Toxicology and Carcinogenesis,1996 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
Training	Postdoctoral Fellow, Keratinocyte Laboratory - Integrins/Epidermal Cancer, 1997-2003 Cancer Research UK London London, United Kingdom
Research Interests	Squamous Cell Cancer and Its Modeling