Research Abstract
I have been in the field of medical pharmacology, translational medicine and oncology research for almost 20 years. Our overarching goal is to elucidate why and how therapy resistance develops so we can easily target and overcome these mechanisms using engineering principles. To do this, we interrogate the entire biological ecosystem using novel in-vitro, in-vivo and ex-vivo models that bring together stromal, immune and neoplastic or diseased cells.
A primary philosophy of our group is that interdisciplinary science and collaboration will drive innovation and cures for disease including cancer. To practice this philosophy, we bring together biologists, clinicians, physicists, chemical engineers and mathematicians to provide a complete picture of drug resistance. Using these diverse set of skills, our team was the first to identify the dynamic role that clonal cooperation contributes to therapy resistance under drug pressure in heterogeneous cancers. We were also the first to describe how non-cancer stem cells contribute to a new model of drug-induced resistance.
A second major component of our research philosophy is to engineer therapeutic solutions. Our team has a long history of deploying nanoscale technology to develop new drugs that exploit pharmacokinetic deficiencies of new or clinical small molecules and can deliver combinations of drugs to difficult-to-access tissues and cells. These discoveries and innovations have resulted in more than 10 patents and patent applications that have been or are being licensed into industry. Translating therapeutic solutions to the clinic is a major driver of our group motivation.
Our group is also heavily invested in our next generation of scientists, and we put a keen focus on nurturing an environment in which students can thrive. Although we are a small group, our team is ambitious, eager to learn, and constantly seeking to build our knowledge and be successful scientists!
