Our Latest Research
Welcome to our research and publications page. Here, you'll find our latest research findings in the field of cancer biology, with a specific focus on mechanisms of metastatic initiation, dissemination, and outgrowth in pancreatic cancer. Our team is dedicated to understanding the underlying mechanisms of this disease and using that knowledge to develop new treatments and therapies to improve patient outcomes.
Identifying Unique Adaptations of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer Cells
In this seminal manuscript, we describe a loss-of-function shRNA targeted screen in metastatic-derived cells, and identified the glutathione S-transferase Gstt1 as uniquely required for metastasis and dispensable for primary tumor growth. Within metastatic lesions, Gstt1 contributes to both intratumoral and intertumoral heterogeneity through regulation of proliferation, EMT and extracellular matrix deposition through glutathionylation of intracellular Fibronectin in a subpopulation of Gstt1high metastatic cells. These studies will significantly contribute to our understanding of unique vulnerabilities of metastatic pancreatic cancer and provide a possible therapeutic window for the treatment of a subset of patients with metastatic disease.
Understanding the Role of Gstt1 in Shaping the Metastatic Tumor Microenvironment
Here we are investigating the role of the tumor microenvironment in regulating the dissemination and outgrowth of a subset of pancreatic cancer cells, using lineage tracing and advanced imaging techniques to visualize the complex interactions between cancer cells and their surroundings. We hope to identify immune factors that promote or inhibit cancer cell spread and ultimately growth. This work is funded by an NIH-NCI R00 Pathway to Independence Award.
Identifying Metastasis-Initiating Cells in Pancreatic Cancer
This project uses lineage tracing techniques to identify whether a rare population of slow-cycling cells present in the primary tumor, preferentially disseminate and seed metastases in pancreatic cancer. We will identify and characterize key molecular pathways that contribute to the dissemination and switch to a proliferative state. This work is possible due to a Career Development Award in Honor of John Robert Lewis, funded by the AACR and the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.
Gstt1 as a Mechanism of Metastatic Chemoresistance in Pacreatic Cancer
Due to the canonical role of Gstt1 as a glutathione-detoxification enzyme, we are interested in a potential role for Gstt1 in metastatic chemoresistance.
We hope to identify novel mechanisms that lead to chemoresistance in metastatic pancreatic cancer, and thus develop new strategies to target these pathways and improve patient outcomes. This work is funded by an NIH-NCI R00 Pathway to Independence Award.
