Memorial Hospital Research Laboratories

The Britta Weigelt Lab

Research

Britta Weigelt, PhD

Director, Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Our laboratory focuses on the use of high-throughput genomics and functional genomics to identify drivers of rare gynecologic cancer types, and to define the clinical and biological significance of intra-tumor phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity in these tumors. Dr. Weigelt’s laboratory is devising strategies to overcome the challenges posed by intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity, based on state-of-the-art sequencing analyses of circulating cell free (cf)DNA and of single cells. By bringing together traditional pathological techniques with genetic analyses and functional studies, the Weigelt lab seeks to refine the classification of gynecologic cancers and identify novel drivers and potential therapeutic targets of specific tumor types. In addition, Dr. Weigelt is investigating if cfDNA analysis (so-called “liquid biopsies”) can accurately monitor the disease course of women with endometrial or cervical cancer, and if resistance mechanisms to platinum salts or PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer patients can be identified in cfDNA.

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Featured News

Finding

Unique Genetic Change Found in Rare Ovarian Tumor Could Spare Patients from Unnecessary Treatment

Monday, January 27, 2020

In the Lab

A Study of Rare Tumors Uncovers the Presence of Tumor-Suppressing Genes

Thursday, August 30, 2018

In the Clinic

Single-Cell Analysis Enables Researchers to Understand the Differences within Tumors

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

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Publications

Identification of recurrent FHL2-GLI2 oncogenic fusion in sclerosing stromal tumors of the ovary. Kim SH, Da Cruz Paula A, Basili T, Dopeso H, Bi R, Pareja F, da Silva EM, Gularte-Mérida R, Sun Z, Fujisawa S, Smith CG, Ferrando L, Martins Sebastião AP, Bykov Y, Li A, Silveira C, Ashley CW, Stylianou A, Selenica P, Samore WR, Jungbluth AA, Zamarin D, Abu-Rustum NR, Helin K, Soslow RA, Reis-Filho JS, Oliva E, Weigelt B. Nat Commun 2020; 11:44. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13806-x.

Diverse BRCA1 and BRCA2 reversion mutations in circulating cell-free DNA of therapy-resistant breast or ovarian cancer. Weigelt B, Comino-Méndez I, de Bruijn I, Tian L, Meisel JL, García-Murillas I, Fribbens C, Cutts R, Martelotto LG, Ng CKY, Lim RS, Selenica P, Piscuoglio S, Aghajanian C, Norton L, Murali R, Hyman DM, Borsu L, Arcila ME, Konner J, Reis-Filho JS, Greenberg RA, Robson ME, Turner NC. Clin Cancer Res 2017; 23:6708-6720. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-0544

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People

Britta Weigelt, PhD

Director, Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Molecular geneticist Britta Weigelt studies the genomics of gynecologic cancers and the use of circulating cell-free DNA for disease monitoring and the identification of therapy resistance mechanisms.