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Breast & Ovarian Cancer
Breast & Ovarian Cancer
Breast & Ovarian Cancer
Our research has focused on breast and ovarian cancers - both important causes of cancer-related deaths in women. Our studies look at how molecular differences in cancer cells alter their biophysical properties to promote invasive and chemoresistant cancer cell phenotypes.
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Tumor Microenvironment
Breast & Ovarian Cancer
Breast & Ovarian Cancer
We study cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in the tumor microenvironment to understand how recruited stromal cells, paracrine factors, and modifications in the extracellular matrix contribute to disease progression.
Created with BioRender.com
Exosomes & Soluble Cues
Breast & Ovarian Cancer
Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells
Several projects focus on cell secreted growth factors and exosomes that mediate cell signaling processes in the tumor microenvironment. Exosomes are cell-secreted nanovesicles that transfer RNA and protein to other cells. Their stable membranes are decorated with receptors that allow for tissue homing.
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Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells
Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells
Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells
Our recent work has focused largely on PGCCs. PGCCs are large and often multinucleated non-dividing cancer cells that are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatment and give rise to daughter cells through budding.
Created with BioRender.com
Metabolism & Autophagy
Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells
Metabolism & Autophagy
The tumor microenvironment is under stress from nutrient deprivation, tissue hypoxia, and chemotherapy which alters cell metabolism to promote cell survival. Our work has focused on metabolic adaptations in ovarian cancer cells which give rise to chemoresistant cells.
Created with BioRender.com
Senescence & Cancer
Polyploidal Giant Cancer Cells
Metabolism & Autophagy
Our work has focused on senescent cells that accumulate in normal tissues and tumors and alter the tissue microenvironment to promote disease progression through their SASP and SA-ECM modifications.
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Radiation Induced Fibrosis
Heterogeneity in Cancer Cells
Heterogeneity in Cancer Cells
Age and radiation induced senescence increase TGF-beta expression to promote ECM remodeling and lung fibrosis. Projects use multiphoton imaging to characterize changes in the ECM at multiple length scales.
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Heterogeneity in Cancer Cells
Heterogeneity in Cancer Cells
Heterogeneity in Cancer Cells
Heterogeneity analysis in cell phenotypes is used to identify outlier populations of invasive cells. This small population of invasive cells is likely representative of invasive cell types that exist in more physiological tumor environments.
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Images from our work
Tumor blood vessels perfused with red dye in the brain of GFP positive bone marrow transplant mouse
Polarized actin filaments of the cell cytoskeleton
Stromal cells stained for actin (red), microtubules (green) and nucleus (blue)
Mouse lung with B16 melanoma tumors throughout
Paclitaxel treated ovarian cancer cells stained for vimentin (green), actin (red), and nucleus (blue)
Human mesenchymal stem cells injected with 200 nm polystyrene nanoparticles (green) stained for actin (red) and nuclei (blue)
Bone marrow colony assay
Blood vessel tube forming assay
Traction stress heat map