Dissecting and overcoming collective therapy resistance

Metastatic cancer and therapy resistance cause fatal outcomes. This project supported by the Worldwide Cancer Research foundation studies how cancer cells collectively survive and resist treatment. We identify which cells resist chemotherapy using advanced data analysis methods and find new ways to target them. We simulate collective cancer cell behavior using a mechanistic model predicting effective treatment strategies. By testing these methods in the lab and mice, we aim to improve the effectiveness of cancer treatments. The ultimate goal is discovering new treatment combinations targeting cancer cell interactions and resistance. Joint with the Friedl group.