The effect of valproic acid on histone acetylation in FaDu-luc head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells

ii To my wife Arshin, who is always there for me whether she knows it or not. To my father Habib, who is always my inspiration for attaining higher education. To my mother Fatimah, who made me the person I am today. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First I would like to thank Dr. Anstoetter for bringing my attention to and helping me attain the NIH T32 grant that financially supported both me and the project. Without their help, none of this would be possible. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. John Hellstein, and Dr. Timmons for their advice on my project and on the research process in general. I would like to thank the members of my thesis committee for their intellectual support and direction in this project: Dr. especially my thesis supervisor Dr. Frederick Domann. Dr. Domann went far beyond his responsibility as a mentor, supervisor, and advisor to accommodate my situation and help me finish this project. Beyond this, his excitement and passion for science was infectious and serves as inspiration in my future scientific endeavors. I have sincere appreciation to everyone in the Domann lab that served as friends, mentors, and counselors. These include Dr. They guided me through obstacles that I did not even know existed. Special and heartfelt thanks are due to Dr. Madsen. For reasons still unbeknownst to me, Dr. Madsen helped me with unselfishness, kindness, patience, and genuineness in ways that are unparalleled in my life. This project would have been impossible without his help. I would also like to thank my co-residents at the dental college for covering my duties and supporting me while I was in the lab.