Cancer Stem Cells and Fibroinflammatory Microenvironment Group

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), also known as tumor-initiating cells or tumor-propagating cells, constitute a biologically unique subset of stem-like cells within the bulk tumor cell population. These cells are believed to be important in metastasis and chemoresistance, and they are hypothesized to be key drivers of the multistep process of oncogenesis, giving rise to the clonogenic core of tumor tissues. In my laboratory, we study CSCs in the context of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the 4th leading cause of cancer related deaths in developed countries. I am running a combined basic and translation research program, which synergistically combines studies on the biology of mouse and human CSCs, including their in vivo microenvironment, in order to enhance our understanding of the regulatory machinery of CSCs.