Curtis R. Pickering

Curtis R. Pickering is an Associate Professor of Surgery (Otolaryngology) at Yale School of Medicine, affiliated with the Department of Surgery and Yale Cancer Center. He leads the Pickering Lab, focusing on translational genomics in head and neck cancer. His research includes biomarker discovery for HPV-driven tumors, necroptosis modulation, and radiosensitivity mechanisms. Dr. Pickering earned his PhD in Cell Biology from the University of California, San Francisco, and completed postdoctoral training at MD Anderson Cancer Center. He joined Yale in 2022 after establishing an independent research program at MD Anderson.

Education:

• PhD in Cell Biology, University of California San Francisco (2008)
• BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Michigan State University (2001)
• Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (2014)

Research Interests:

Dr. Pickering’s lab investigates genomic and epigenetic drivers of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), focusing on CASP8 mutations, CREBBP/EP300 alterations, and oral leukoplakia progression. Key projects include:

• Sensitizing HNSCC to necroptosis via CASP8 inhibition
• Targeting CREBBP/EP300-driven DNA repair mechanisms
• Deep learning-based biomarkers for oral premalignant lesions

Publications:

Recent work highlights genomic analysis of conjunctival SCC, immune microenvironment dynamics, and therapeutic strategies for p53-mutant tumors. His team’s deep learning approaches predict cancer progression risks in oral leukoplakia, offering non-invasive diagnostic tools.

Labs & Teams:

His lab collaborates with institutions like UPMC and UTSW on translational projects. Key partners include the Xiao lab (UTSW) for leukoplakia imaging and the Skinner lab (UPMC) on DNA repair studies.