Strong evidence in support of the cancer stem cell theory has been steadily accumulating over the last decade.  In addition to tumorigenic potential, cancer stem cells possess characteristics of normal stem cells including proliferative quiescence, self-renewal potential, and multipotency.  Upon receiving proliferation signal(s) from the microenvironment, cancer stem cells switch their program from quiescence to differentiation/proliferation, initiating tumor growth. Patients suffering from both hematological maligancies and solid tumors often see their disease relapse due to the inability of the currently used therapies to target successfully cancer stem cells.  Thus, determining which characteristics of the cancer stem cells can be therapeutically exploited is of utmost importance.  My lab studies the properties of cancer stem cells using two model systems: multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow, and breast cancer, representing hematological and solid malignancies respectively.

The long-term research objectives of my laboratory are to investigate the fundamental question in cancer stem cell biology.  What is the role of microenvironment in maintaining the balance between self-renewal and differentiation of cancer stem cells?  Our working hypothesis is that cancer stem cells are found in a specialized microenvironment niche which keeps the cells in a non-proliferative state.  Altering the conditions in favor of differentiation and proliferation leads to tumor re-growth.  To study these processes we utilize tissue culture and in vivo approaches; using 3-dimensional tissue culture models to reconstruct human tissues in vitro and humanized mouse models to recapitulate the human microenvironment in an animal.