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.
Christine A. Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD
Director of Genomics Research, David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Research Focus
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.
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.
Selected 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)
