Research

Our primary goal is to advance our understanding of cancer biology to improve the lives of patients with cancer. Our current research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms of drug resistance in lung cancer in order to identify new therapeutic targets. We are particularly interested in "drug-tolerant persister" cells (or residual disease) that can survive initial therapies and serve as a reservoir from which fully resistant lung cancer cells emerge and grow. 

Our lab uses a multitude of different approaches, including phosphoproteomics, transcriptomics, organoids, advanced microscopy, and mouse and cell culture models, to understand the biology of drug-tolerant persister cells. By understanding their biology, we seek to design new treatments that can eradicate them and lead to cures. 

We have identified several kinases that we believe are novel drug targets. We currently have several projects--spanning from basic biology to translational work--that are focused on how these kinases drive drug-tolerant persister cell survival in EGFR-mutant lung cancer and what are effective ways to block them. We are in the process of launching a phase 1b clinical trial that is the direct result from our discoveries.

If you are interested in joining our team or learning more about our work, please contact us!