Wendell Yarbrough, MD, MMHC, FACS

EMAIL: dell@med.unc.edu

PERSONAL WEBSITE: https://www.med.unc.edu/ent/directory/wendell-g-yarbrough-md-mmhc-facs/

PUBLICATIONS: Publications Link

Dr. Yarbrough is a surgeon-scientist active in head & neck cancer research for more than two decades. Between 2012 and 2016, he served as Chief of Otolaryngology, Director of the Head & Neck Disease Center and Co-Director of the Virus and Other Infection-Associated Cancers (VOIC) Program in the Yale Cancer Center. In the fall of 2018, he was appointed Chair of Otolaryngology at UNC Chapel Hill and moved from Yale to UNC and with Dr. Issaeva established the Head and Neck Oncology Laboratory in the Lineberger Cancer Center. Dr. Schrank completed his clinical training and joined the lab creating a collaborative group of investigators. The Head & Neck Oncology Lab focuses on human papillomavirus-associated (HPV+) head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) with the goals of improving molecular characterization increasing understanding of cancer cell behavior and molecular vulnerabilities and using this knowledge to develop new therapies.
One of the most exciting areas of research in the lab has focused on subtypes of HPV+ HNSCC. Using weighted gene correlation network analysis, we found a set of co-expressed genes that defined two subtypes of head and neck cancer based on high vs. low expression. The genes in the defining gene set were NF-kB associated genes leading us to label the subtypes NF-kB high/active and NF-kB low/inactive. Among other differences, these subtypes were molecularly distinct with differences in somatic gene expression, gene mutations, methylation patterns, HPV gene expression and HPV integration. Most strikingly the subtypes were found to have marked and significant differences in survival. These findings were consistent across six retrospective cohorts and across different gene expression platforms (RNASeq, NanoString, Array). We also found that NF-kB activation in HPV+ HNSCC was sufficient to sensitize cells to radiation, providing mechanistic insight and a potential explanation for improved survival of the NF-kB high/active subtype. The lab focuses on these findings to create new treatments and to personalize therapy for HPV+ HNSCC.