Affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Hematology-Oncology Section, Department of Pediatrics

Dr. Bouchier-Hayes' research interest is focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis and how they impact human health and disease. Specifically, her group investigates the roles of the caspase family of proteases in apoptosis and non-apoptotic functions.She has pioneered the development of new imaging-based assays to measure caspase activation and interactions. This cutting-edge technology allows her lab to specifically and accurately visualize caspase activation in living cells. Using this as a discovery tool, she has made significant advances in the cell death field. Among these, her team provided the first evidence that caspase-2 can function as a tumor suppressor in solid tumors and identified a novel caspase-2 activating complex in the nucleolus.