We are interested in why a subset of breast cancer cells can metastasize to distant organs and what factors in the microenviornment influence metastatic outgrowth. Our goal is to develop methods to target metastatic cells or their niches to prevent their outgrowth at distant organs. Our workflow uses a combination of single cell technologies, computational methods, patient derived models and organoid assays. 

An early pregnancy reduces the risk of developing breast cancer later in life. We want to understand how pregnancy alters the aging process of mammary epithelial cells. This will enable us to design preventive strategies that can be leveraged to reduce breast cancer risk. We use a combination of single cell technologies, in vivo mouse models and organoid assays to address these questions.