Department of Biomedical Engineering
Oregon Health & Sciences University
Portland, Oregon

Visualizing Tumor Biology: From Single Molecules to Systems

Cancer is a systems disease that arises from complex molecular abnormalities, whereby effective treatment requires insight into tumorigenesis at multiple levels – from individual molecules to whole cells and tumors. Research in our laboratory aims to build multiscale, systems-level models of tumorigenic signaling by leveraging recent developments in single-molecule, superresolution, and correlative light – electron microscopies. Using the human epidermal growth factor receptors (e.g. HER2) and the Ras small GTPases as model systems, we will showcase how quantitative imaging at the single-molecule and nanometer scales reveals previously unknown aspects of these common oncogenic drivers. These findings underscore the importance of studying tumor biology within the intact spatial and biological context, which current omics-based systems-biology approaches have largely overlooked. We will also discuss ongoing efforts toward constructing spatially-integrated models of tumorigenic signaling networks through multiplexed and high-throughput superresolution imaging, as well as the implications of our findings in targeted cancer therapies.

For more information or to schedule a meeting with the speaker, please contact Hanna Kim.
Hosted by Dr. Eric Potma