@CellBiophysics @DawsonStemCell
Dawson Cancer Biophysics Lab
Studying outlier populations of invasive cancer cells and mechanisms they use to evade treatment
Updates
New Paper Alert!
New Paper Alert!
Ghosh et al, Autophagy is Essential for Survival and Function of Polyploid Giant Cancer Cells under Therapeutic Stress, Cancer Letters 2026
Basel White T32
New Paper Alert!
Basel White is awarded competitive spot on T32 Biology of Aging Training Grant
KAIMRC Saudia Arabia Visit
KAIMRC Saudia Arabia Visit
Visited Saudi Arabia to present King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) Seminar
BMES 2024
I-BEAM Lab Photo 1
I-BEAM Lab Photo 2
I-BEAM Lab Photo 2
New paper alert!
Congratulations to Dr. Howes for his paper on Senescence-Associated Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in the Fibrotic Lung Niche!
PhD Student Award
Gavin Lu names Brown University Sidney Frank Fellow for 2024-2025
New PhD Student
New PhD Student
Brianna Pendergrass joins the lab as a new MCB PhD student!
New paper alert!
Congratulations to Dr. Mejia Pena for her paper on Paclitaxel-induced metabolic reprogramming and chemoresistance in ovarian cancer! Scientific Reports 13: 19232 (2023).
PhD Defense
Congratulations to Dr. Andrew Howes for successfully defending his PhD on November 6, 2023.
New paper alert!
Special congratulations to Dr. Ghosh, Jeff Hsu, and Kylen Soriano for their combined work on this study!
New PhD Student
Welcoming new BME PhD student Basel White to the Dawson Lab!
New PhD Student
New PhD Student
Welcoming new BME PhD student Gavin Lu to the Dawson Lab!
New Paper Alert!
Physics of Cancer Book!
This paper published in Reproductive Sciences looks at differences in uterine fibroid and myometrial cell mechanics
DOI: 10.1007/s43032-023-01267-z
Physics of Cancer Book!
Physics of Cancer Book!
Please see our new book, "Engineering and Physical Approaches to Cancer."
2023 NESS Presentation Award
Congratulations to Ivy Koh for winning the Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center Award for the best oral presentation of cancer research at the 2023 New England Science Symposium.
New paper!
Congratulations to Dr. Amy Lee, Dr. Deepraj Ghosh, and Ivy Koh for their new paper in Aging.
Lee AH, Ghosh D, Koh IL, Dawson MR. Senescence-associated exosomes transfer miRNA-induced fibrosis to neighboring cells. Aging (Albany NY). 2023 Feb 23; . https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.204539
[Epub ahead of print]
New Funding!
New Funding!
Dawsonlab receives new R01 funding from National Cancer Institute for ovarian cancer research!
This grant will investigate the hypothesis that EOC cells store energy in intracellular lipid droplets and under metabolic stress use this stored energy to fuel growth and invasive cell migration; this hypothesis will be explored using a novel 3D
Dawsonlab receives new R01 funding from National Cancer Institute for ovarian cancer research!
This grant will investigate the hypothesis that EOC cells store energy in intracellular lipid droplets and under metabolic stress use this stored energy to fuel growth and invasive cell migration; this hypothesis will be explored using a novel 3D culture model to track metabolic changes in chemoresistant EOC cells as well as to study their lipid droplet metabolism and autophagy.
https://reporter.nih.gov/search/c-FjwYfHDECVT3W5G2c8zg/project-details/10522428
New Funding!
Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
Dr. Carolina Mejia Pena and Dr. Amy H. Lee graduate with their PhDs in Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry (MCB) and Biomedical Engineering (BME), respectively.
Dr. Lee continues research as MIT-HMS postdoc in Bob Langer's lab and Dr. Mejia Pena continues research as postdoc in Dawson Lab.
Matthe
Congratulations to the Class of 2022!
Dr. Carolina Mejia Pena and Dr. Amy H. Lee graduate with their PhDs in Molecular and Cell Biology and Biochemistry (MCB) and Biomedical Engineering (BME), respectively.
Dr. Lee continues research as MIT-HMS postdoc in Bob Langer's lab and Dr. Mejia Pena continues research as postdoc in Dawson Lab.
Matthew Perricone receives the 2022 Elizabeth Leduc Prize in Cell and Molecular Biology and graduates with his undergraduate degree in Biology.
Matt continues research as a PhD student at U Michigan.
Completed Dissertations!
Dr. Carolina Mejia Pena and Dr. Amy H. Lee celebrate their thesis defenses
Dr. Carolina Mejia Pena defended 4/22/2022
Dr. Amy H. Lee defended 4/27/2022
Celebration 5/3/2022, 3-5 pm BMC 3rd flr atrium
New Exosome Review
The Role of Exosome Heterogeneity in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
This review provides an overview on exosome structure and biogenesis and summarizes recent studies on ovarian cancer exosomes, exosome mediated interactions in the tumor microenvironment, and exosome heterogeneity.
by Amy Lee, Ivy Koh, and Michelle Dawson
New Ovarian Cancer Review
Congratulations to Amy Lee and Carolina Mejia Pena for their new review article titled, 'Comparing the Secretomes of Chemorefractory and Chemoresistant Ovarian Cancer Cell Populations.'
This review covers feedback loops that transfer resistance between chemoresistant EOC cells and normal bystander cells and cancer cells.
PNAS Paper
Vimentin Filaments Drive Migratory Persistence in Polyploidal Cancer Cells
Although the presence of polyploidal cells in solid tumors has been correlated with worse patient outcomes, there is a lack of understanding of the underlying biophysical mechanisms that drive their abnormal behavior. Here we show that vimentin is key to their migratory persistence.
Outstanding Thesis Award
Botai Xuan wins Joukowsky Outstanding Dissertation Award for the 2020-2021.
Xuan’s dissertation titled, Unraveling the Contributions of Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells in Cancer Progression, focused on an understudied population of giant cancer cells that contributes to disease progression and chemoresistance.
Dr. Ghosh Promoted
Deepraj Ghosh was promoted to research assistant professor of biomedical sciences. Congratulations to DG!