The Tabrizi lab has a deep interest in development and application of technologies for better detection and monitoring of cancer, particularly in high-risk populations such as BRCA1/2 carriers. We investigate circulating biomarkers for this purpose, with a particular focus on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) liquid biopsies. We seek to develop novel assays and computational techniques to enhance the detection of cancer using plasma and other accessible biofluids, and to apply these technologies in problems of cancer early detection/interception, tumor and toxicity monitoring during treatment, and detection of residual disease. We also have an interest in understanding the biology of ctDNA, including its mechanisms of shedding and clearance, and its potential functional roles in circulation and the tumor microenvironment. We believe that understanding these processes could enable new technologies to amplify ctDNA signals in the body and enable better liquid biopsy assays. In the lab, we combine cell and molecular biology, genomics, protein engineering, and computational biology approaches toward these goals.