Research

Our lab aims to dissect the progression of cancer from mechanobiology perspective: the interplay between tumor cells and their physical environment can provide us biological insights on novel drug targets. 

Regulatory mechanisms of cell migration.

One of our lab’s primary research focuses is understanding the regulatory mechanisms that control cell migration. Under homeostatic conditions, most adult cells remain non-motile. However, during certain physiological processes—such as development, tissue regeneration, or immune responses—or under pathological conditions like cancer, some cells become activated and begin to migrate. We aim to uncover what drives this transition to a migratory state, with particular emphasis on the regulation of cancer cell invasion and the 3D rotational migration of normal epithelial cells.

Collaborator: Fabry Lab, Thirumalai Lab

Desmoplasia causes significant tissue stiffening in cancer progression.

Microenvironment stiffness dictates cell adhesions and contractility, which is upstream of many mechanotransduction pathways. What is the role of microenvironment stiffening in cancer progression? Here we use both 2D and 3D cultures of both patient derived cancer cells and multiple lines to answer the question.

Genomic heterogeneity

Genome instability and mutation is an enabling characteristics of cancer, and such genomic aberrations can either inactivate tumor suppressor genes or activate oncogenes. Genomic heterogeneity in most cancer has been reported by multiple studies, but again mechanisms is unknown. Can we tease out potential mechanisms from the mutation signatures? Here, we utilize various bioinformatics tools to analyze our bulk and single-cell genomic data.

Collaborator: Mallory Lab