Our group is interested in understanding the metabolic adaptations that allow cancer cells to grow and proliferate, causing tumor growth. To understand how cancer cell metabolism works to fuel tumor growth, we use metabolomics techniques to catalog what nutrients are in the microenvironment of tumors. This provides us with a "menu" of nutrients that cancer cells could potentially metabolize to fuel their growth. Once we know the "menu" for different tumor types, we then use a variety of experimental tools from metabolomics to CRISPR gene editing to determine which nutrients cancer cells actually consume from the "menu", and which metabolic pathways process these nutrients. From these experiments, we are delineating the biochemical underpinnings of cancer cell growth.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA
Post-doctoral fellow - Tumor Metabolism
2019
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA
PhD - Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology
2015
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL
BA/BA - Biology/Romance Languages and Literature
2009
Metabolite profiling of human renal cell carcinoma reveals tissue-origin dominance in nutrient availability.
Metabolite profiling of human renal cell carcinoma reveals tissue-origin dominance in nutrient availability. bioRxiv. 2024 Apr 08.
PMID: 38187626
Tumor Explants Elucidate a Cascade of Paracrine SHH, WNT, and VEGF Signals Driving Pancreatic Cancer Angiosuppression.
Tumor Explants Elucidate a Cascade of Paracrine SHH, WNT, and VEGF Signals Driving Pancreatic Cancer Angiosuppression. Cancer Discov. 2024 Feb 08; 14(2):348-361.
PMID: 37966260
Metabolite profiling of human renal cell carcinoma reveals tissue-origin dominance in nutrient availability.
Metabolite profiling of human renal cell carcinoma reveals tissue-origin dominance in nutrient availability. bioRxiv. 2023 Dec 24.
PMID: 38187626
HYENA detects oncogenes activated by distal enhancers in cancer.
HYENA detects oncogenes activated by distal enhancers in cancer. bioRxiv. 2023 Nov 28.
PMID: 38076958
Trans-vaccenic acid reprograms CD8+ T cells and anti-tumour immunity.
Trans-vaccenic acid reprograms CD8+ T cells and anti-tumour immunity. Nature. 2023 Nov; 623(7989):1034-1043.
PMID: 37993715
Generation and ex vivo culture of murine and human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissue slice explants.
Generation and ex vivo culture of murine and human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tissue slice explants. STAR Protoc. 2023 Dec 15; 4(4):102711.
PMID: 37950862
Mitochondrial One-Carbon Metabolism is Required for TGF-ß-Induced Glycine Synthesis and Collagen Protein Production.
Mitochondrial One-Carbon Metabolism is Required for TGF-ß-Induced Glycine Synthesis and Collagen Protein Production. bioRxiv. 2023 Nov 07.
PMID: 37986788
Screening in serum-derived medium reveals differential response to compounds targeting metabolism.
Screening in serum-derived medium reveals differential response to compounds targeting metabolism. Cell Chem Biol. 2023 09 21; 30(9):1156-1168.e7.
PMID: 37689063
Tumor interstitial fluid analysis enables the study of microenvironment-cell interactions in cancers.
Tumor interstitial fluid analysis enables the study of microenvironment-cell interactions in cancers. Curr Opin Biotechnol. 2023 10; 83:102970.
PMID: 37494818
Pancreatic tumors exhibit myeloid-driven amino acid stress and upregulate arginine biosynthesis.
Pancreatic tumors exhibit myeloid-driven amino acid stress and upregulate arginine biosynthesis. Elife. 2023 05 31; 12.
PMID: 37254839