Human Oncology & Pathogenesis Program

The Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue Lab

Research

Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD

David M. Rubenstein Center Chair for Pancreatic Cancer Research; Director, Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research

Our lab investigates the fundamental evolutionary mechanisms underlying metastasis using pancreatic cancer as our model tumor type. Metastasis is the result of a series of biological hurdles subject to Darwinian selection including the birth of metastasis-enabled cells within a heterogeneous primary tumor microenvironment, intravasation of these cells into a functional vascular bed, survival in the circulation, extravasation from the vasculature, and establishment of an autonomous cell population within the newly encountered foreign microenvironment.

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Featured News

Q&A

What Evolution Can Tell Us about How Cancer Spreads

Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Announcement

Pancreatic Cancer Research Center Takes Transformative Approach

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Finding

Two Studies Shed Light on Genetics of Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Publications

Heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer metastases in a single patient revealed by quantitative proteomics. Kim MS, Zhong Y, Yachida S, Rajeshkumar NV, Abel ML, Marimuthu A, Mudgal K, Hruban RH, Poling JS, Tyner JW, Maitra A, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA*, Pandey A. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2014 Jun 3. pii: mcp.M114.038547. *co-senior author

Clinical significance of the genetic landscape of pancreatic cancer and implications for identification of potential long-term survivors. Yachida S, White CM, Naito Y, Zhong Y, Brosnan JA, Macgregor-Das AM, Morgan RA, Saunders T, Laheru DA, Herman JM, Hruban RH, Klein AP, Jones S, Velculescu V, Wolfgang CL, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Nov 15;18(22):6339-47.

Computational modeling of pancreatic cancer reveals kinetics of metastasis suggesting optimum treatment strategies. Haeno H, Gonen M, Davis MB, Herman JM, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA*, Michor F. Cell. 2012 Jan 20;148(1-2):362-75. *co-senior author

Distant metastasis occurs late during the genetic evolution of pancreatic cancer. Yachida S, Jones S, Bozic I, Antal T, Leary R, Fu B, Kamiyama M, Hruban RH, Eshleman JR, Nowak MA, Velculescu VE, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B, Iacobuzio-Donahue CA. Nature. 2010 Oct 28;467(7319):1114-7.

DPC4 gene status of the primary carcinoma correlates with patterns of failure in patients with pancreatic cancer. Iacobuzio-Donahue CA, Fu B, Yachida S, Luo M, Abe H, Henderson CM, Vilardell F, Wang Z, Keller JW, Banerjee P, Herman JM, Cameron JL, Yeo CJ, Halushka MK, Eshleman JR, Raben M, Klein AP, Hruban RH, Hidalgo M, Laheru D. J Clin Oncol. 2009 Apr 10;27(11):1806-13.

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People

Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD

David M. Rubenstein Center Chair for Pancreatic Cancer Research; Director, Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research

Physician-scientist Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue studies the genomics and cell biology of pancreatic and other solid tumors as it relates to subclonal evolution, tumor progression, and metastasis.
MD, PhD, Boston University

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Members

Priscilla Baez
Research Project Associate

Helen Martirosova
Graduate Research Assistant

Shigeaki Umeda

Research Associate

Lab Alumni

Zachary Kohutek
Assistant Attending Radiation Oncologist

Salvador Suarez Naranjo
Research Associate

Efsevia Vakiani, MD, PhD — Efsevia Vakiani
Assistant Attending Pathologist

Lab Affilations

Achievements

Team Science Award, American Association for Cancer Research (2012)
Ramzi Cotran Young Investigator Award, United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology (2009)
AACR-Barletta Foundation Career Development Award in Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research (2005)
Member, Alpha Omega Alpha (2002)
American Society of Clinical Investigators (2015)

Elected to American Association of University Pathologists (Pluto Society)

Open Positions

Career Opportunities

Postdoctoral positions are currently available in our laboratory and are open to highly motivated candidates with a background in cancer genetics, metastasis, and/or evolutionary biology.

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