• Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites - slide 1

    Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites

  • Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites - slide 2

    Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites

  • Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites - slide 3

    Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites

  • Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites - slide 4 (same as slide 2)

    Dormant disseminated tumor cells in metastatic sites

    Research Activities

    Navigation to Improve Adherence: Tobacco Treatment Program for Cancer Patients: A Pragmatic Pilot Study (Linda Fleisher-PI, Donna Edmondson, Alison Brecher, Carolyn L. Zawislak, Kaitlyn Gregory, Zoe Landau, Kelsey Lachow, Allison Zambon, Cassidy Kenny, Martin J. Edelman): The primary objective of this prospective, interventional pilot study is to assess the feasibility, acceptability and fidelity of a navigation intervention embedded into the clinical Tobacco Treatment Program.

    • BD FACS Aria II

      Two BD FACS Aria II Cell Sorters/Analyzers

    • BD LSR-II Analyzer

      BD LSR-II Analyzer  

    • BD Symphony A5 Analyzer

      BD Symphony A5 Analyzer  

    • BD Melody Sorter/Analyzer

      BD Melody Sorter/Analyzer

    • Miltenyi gentleMACS Tissue Dissociator

      Miltenyi gentleMACS Tissue Dissociator

    • Isoplexis IsoSpark

      Isoplexis IsoSpark

    • BD Symphony S6 Spectral Sorter/Analyzer

      BD Symphony S6 Spectral Sorter/Analyzer

    • Miltenyi MultiMACS Cell24 Magnetic Separation Device

      Miltenyi MultiMACS Cell24 Magnetic Separation Device

      • tmf1

        Olympus IX70 inverted scope with DIC optics, Narishige micromanipulators and cooling stage

      • Nikon TE-200wb

        Nikon TE-200 inverted microscope with DIC optics, Narishige micromanipulators and cooling stage

      • Narishige micromanipulator system

        Narishige micromanipulator system

      • Olympus SZ stereomicroscope

        Olympus SZ stereomicroscope

      • BEX Co., CUY21EDITⅡ electroporation equipment​

        BEX Co., CUY21EDITⅡ electroporation equipment​

        • Molecular Devices ImageXpress Confocal Microscope

          Molecular Devices ImageXpress Confocal Microscope

        • BioPlex 100-200

          BioPlex 100/200

        • Perkin Elmer Envision Plate Reader

          Perkin Elmer Envision Plate Reader

        • CyBio Well

          CyBio Well

        • Matrix Wellmate Reagent Dispenser

          Matrix Wellmate Reagent Dispenser

        • Guava Easycyte

          Guava Easycyte

          • Human Tongue Fibroblast Cells (FC-HN2 IIA)

            Human Tongue Fibroblast Cells (FC-HN2 IIA)1

          • Human Tongue Epithelial Cells (FC-HN2 Low Cal)

            Human Tongue Epithelial Cells (FC-HN2 Low Cal)1

          • SID 511 Normal Human Colon Fibroblast Cells

            SID 511 Normal Human Colon Fibroblast Cells2

          • SID 622 FAP Human Colon Fibroblast Cells

            SID 622 FAP Human Colon Fibroblast Cells2

          • SID 333 FAP Human Colon Epithelial Cells

            SID 333 FAP Human Colon Epithelial Cells2

          • SID 622 FAP Human Colon Epithelial Cells

            SID 622 FAP Human Colon Epithelial Cells2

          • Mouse Liver Epithelial Cells

            Mouse Liver Epithelial Cells3

          • Mouse Lung Endothelial Cells

            Mouse Lung Endothelial Cells4

          • Mouse Skin Fibroblast Cells

            Mouse Skin Fibroblast Cells5

          • Mouse Mammary Epithelial Cells

            Mouse Mammary Epithelial Cells6  

          • Mouse Melanoma Cells

            Mouse Melanoma Cells7

          • Embyronic Stem (ES) Cell Colonies on an Irradiated MEF (Feeder) Layer

            Embyronic Stem (ES) Cell Colonies on an Irradiated MEF (Feeder) Layer

            • diagram of young skin with proliferative melanoma and old skin with dormant melanoma

              Our lab focuses on the differential changes that occur during aging in primary microenvironments vs metastatic niches. We have published in melanoma that aged dermal fibroblasts promote a slower-growing melanoma primary tumor compared to a younger microenvironment via secretion of sFRP2, which promotes invasion and dissemination of melanoma cells into the lung. However, aged lung fibroblasts secrete the related family member sFRP1, which acts inversely to sFRP2 by down-regulating dormancy promoting signaling pathways such as Wnt5A and AXL in melanoma cells to promote proliferation and reactivation from dormancy via the MER tyrosine kinase signaling pathway.

            • diagram of young mouse vs. old mouse, young lung vs. aged lung, collagen layers, and fibroblasts

              We are also focused on uncovering immune specific changes associated with aging in healthy and diseased metastatic niches such as the lung. We hypothesize that the aged lung is able to promote reactivation from dormancy by inducing an immunosuppressive niche via infiltration of Tregs, MDSCs and reducing effector T-cells and other cancer killing immune subtypes. This allows melanoma cells to proliferate unabated by the immune system to promote aggressive metastasis.

            • diagram of young environment vs. aged environment where the aged permits growth-permissive primary sites and premetastatic niches

              Our lab employs in vivo subcutaneous and tail-vein models in young (8 weeks) vs aged (over 52 weeks) mice to assess differences in metastatic outgrowth due to aging (A). Yumm 1.7 melanoma cells metastasize much more aggressively in the aged mouse lung relative to the young mouse lung (B). We are able to employ IHC, CyTOF, spatial transcriptomics and mass spectrometry to identify changes in immune cells and the ECM within these metastatic tumors. We also use young and aged healthy human lung and skin fibroblasts from patients and form 3d reconstructs in the presence of GFP melanoma cells. We can assess growth of these cells in the presence of fibroblasts and FACs sort melanoma and fibroblasts cultures and assess changes at transcriptomic and protein levels.

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