Historically Dr. Powers’ main focus has been application of genome-wide DNA copy number profiling to identify recurrent amplified candidate driver genes. This work has involved in vitro and in vivo functional assays to validate the role of candidate driver genes in oncogenesis. Discoveries in this area include gene amplification of PPM1D and ACK1 in breast and prostate adenocarcinomas and more recently, activation of FGF19 by genomic amplification and overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma. In addition to copy number alterations in cancer, Dr. Powers has applied genome-wide methods to the study of mutational changes, epigenetic changes, and tumor-stromal interactions.  Current projects include: (1) Functional genomic Identification of drivers and dependencies in breast cancer (2) Computational analysis of large-scale cancer genomic datasets (3) Studying the clonal dynamics of cancer cells using single-cell barcoding (4) Combinatorial genetic screening using tandem-integration of multiple barcodes and (5) Discovery of biomarkers by genomic analysis of exosomes.