FEBRUARY 22, 2012 PRESS RELEASE CLICK
CORNELL CENTER ON THE MICROENVIRONMENT AND METASTASIS AND NEUBERGER BERMAN LUNG CANCER RESEARCH CENTER
"Our goal is to dissect the cooperative heterotypic reciprocal signaling between the microenvironment and tumor epithelial compartments that govern tumor growth and metastasis. In direct collaboration with physicians a major emphasis is to accomplish clinical translation of our findings so that patients directly benefit".
Human non-small cell lung cancer showing epithelial cells (red) and bone marrow cells (green)
Our research program is focused around the lung as a central organ to study de novo lung carcinogenesis, as well as the initiation and progression of metastatic lesions derived from extrapulmonary neoplasms. The program integrates a multidisciplinary approach to foster innovative clinical and basic science research for the detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer. For example, clinical specimens available through the thoracic surgery component of the center are effectively used to discover key protumorigenic candidate genes and the pathways they regulate. The mechanistic insights of these findings are assessed in mouse models that closely approximate human lung cancer.
A major aim is to understand cancer cell intrinsic and extrinsic programs that regulate tumor growth and metastasis. Cancer cell intrinsic programs include aberrant signaling pathways, which are investigated at several levels including transcriptional regulation, epigenetic regulation, and regulation by small regulatory RNAs. Cancer cell extrinsic programs include the contribution of the tumor microenvironment; by dissecting the complexity of various stromal cell types that comprise the microenvironment we unravel heterotypic reciprocal signaling between the stromal cells and tumor epithelial compartments that contribute to tumor progression. We are interested in understanding how these two programs are integrated to regulate key tumorigenic processes including angiogenesis, inflammation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, therapeutic resistance, metastasis initiation and progression. Another major focus of research in the center is to discover novel blood based biomarkers of clinopathological and prognostic significance in lung cancer. Biomarker discovery is being conducted using metabolomic and gene signature based analysis.
A major aim is to rapidly validate insights obtained from these investigations in preclinical and clinical settings, and to determine the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of candidate molecules in collaboration with clinicians.
A major aim is to understand cancer cell intrinsic and extrinsic programs that regulate tumor growth and metastasis. Cancer cell intrinsic programs include aberrant signaling pathways, which are investigated at several levels including transcriptional regulation, epigenetic regulation, and regulation by small regulatory RNAs. Cancer cell extrinsic programs include the contribution of the tumor microenvironment; by dissecting the complexity of various stromal cell types that comprise the microenvironment we unravel heterotypic reciprocal signaling between the stromal cells and tumor epithelial compartments that contribute to tumor progression. We are interested in understanding how these two programs are integrated to regulate key tumorigenic processes including angiogenesis, inflammation, epithelial to mesenchymal transition, therapeutic resistance, metastasis initiation and progression. Another major focus of research in the center is to discover novel blood based biomarkers of clinopathological and prognostic significance in lung cancer. Biomarker discovery is being conducted using metabolomic and gene signature based analysis.
A major aim is to rapidly validate insights obtained from these investigations in preclinical and clinical settings, and to determine the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of candidate molecules in collaboration with clinicians.
Artist's perspective of the tumor microenvironment
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