Kristian Helin

Kristian Helin has made milestone contributions to cancer epigenetics through his discovery of the E2F transcription factor family and their regulation by the Rb tumor suppressor, and his subsequent characterization of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) components including EZH2 and UTX/KDM6A as critical cancer genes. His laboratory demonstrated that EZH2 gain-of-function mutations in lymphoma drive oncogenesis through aberrant H3K27 trimethylation, providing the biological rationale for EZH2 inhibitor therapy. He identified UTX/KDM6A as a tumor suppressor whose loss in multiple cancer types creates dependency on EZH2. His mechanistic studies of PRC2 in cancer have been foundational for the development of epigenetic therapies targeting chromatin-modifying enzymes.