The Bollag Lab

Roni Bollag, MD, PhD

Director, Georgia Cancer Center's Biorepository

 Associate Professor, Clinical Pathology

Research Summary

My research interest is in stem cell biology as it relates to translational research. In concert with my role as a Transfusion Medicine physician, the use of stem cells derived from hematopoietic and mesenchymal tissues is an area that will see increased clinical utility. By combining the availability of cryopreserved materials with focused selection and processing technologies, I hope to contribute to the growing translational use of stem cells.

As Director of the Biorepository, my goal is to support the research mission of the Georgia Cancer Center and the Augusta University research community at large.  We have archived valuable clinical samples in the Biorepository, and we hope to distribute these samples for maximal clinical and translational benefit.  My own interests are in bone metabolism, the homing of metastatic cells to the bone, and the characterization of benign and malignant neoplastic tissues as it relates to localized and metastatic spread.  The Biorepository has contributed numerous specimens in national biospecimen collection initiatives, such as The Cancer Genome Atlas.

We have also participated in a collaborative effort to link surgical pathology databases via a federated network software project named TIES that was established by colleagues at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School.  This project has evolved to include six institutions across the breadth of the East Coast and serves as a model for leveraging informatics resources to bridge academic medical centers in the pursuit of translational cancer research.  This TIES Consortium is currently developing collaborative translational projects related to multiple cancer types.