Dr. Silver's research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying breast cancer, particularly triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and developing targeted therapies. His laboratory has identified MECP2 as a novel oncogene amplified in various cancers, including TNBC, and has explored its potential as a therapeutic target. He has also contributed to the development of the Homologous Recombination Deficiency (HRD) assay, a biomarker test that predicts chemotherapy responsiveness in TNBC by identifying DNA repair defects .
His work has led to clinical trials investigating the efficacy of platinum-based therapies and PARP inhibitors in patients with BRCA1/2 mutations and HRD-positive tumors .