Laboratory

Our research focuses on the following areas:

1. Liquid Biopsies for Precision Oncology

Liquid biopsies, minimally invasive tests that detect tumor-derived material in blood and other body fluids, are at the core of our work.

Our lab works on the development of personalized Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays to enable the sensitive detection and quantification of ctDNA for minimal residual disease detection and disease monitoring.

Our ctDNA assays are being used as biomarkers in clinical trials in breast cancer (Q-CROC-03, TRICIA, FRIDA and ESCAPE).

2. Cancer Genomics and Evolution

Decoding the genomic architecture of breast cancer is central to our mission. We apply high-throughput sequencing and integrative analyses to:

• Identify driver mutations and structural variants across breast cancer subtypes.
• Map tumor transcriptional evolution during the development of drug resistance.
• Characterize genomic signatures associated with therapy resistance.

By combining tumor tissue genomics with liquid biopsy profiles, our lab dissects mechanisms of progression and recurrence at both the DNA and RNA levels.

3. Patient-Derived Models for Functional Precision Oncology

In parallel with our genomic and liquid biopsy research, the laboratory has extensive experience in the development and characterization of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models and PDX-derived in vitro systems for functional drug testing.

These models faithfully recapitulate the genomic, transcriptomic, and phenotypic features of the original patient tumors, enabling robust evaluation of therapeutic vulnerabilities.

We leverage PDXs and PDX-derived cell lines to perform in vivo and in vitro drug response studies, investigate mechanisms of resistance, and validate genomics-driven therapeutic hypotheses.

Translational Research and Clinical Impact

Our research is strongly translational, with goals to move discoveries into clinical practice. Key translational initiatives include:

• Biomarker discovery for therapy prediction and risk stratification.
• Development of clinical assays that adhere to regulatory and diagnostic standards.
• Partnerships with oncology clinics to integrate liquid biopsy tools in patient workflows.
• Collaborative clinical trials to test genomic biomarkers as predictive tools for therapy selection.
  
  

Methodologies & Technologies

We leverage state-of-the-art platforms and approaches, including:

• High quality and clinically annotated biobanked samples (tissue and blood) from close to 2000 breast cancer patients.
• Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for comprehensive genomic profiling.
• Digital PCR and Ultra-deep sequencing for high-sensitivity detection of rare variants.
• PDX platform for PDX clinical trials to perform pre-clinical drug testing
• Bioinformatics pipelines for integrative analysis of multi-omics data.
  
  

Collaborations and Impact

We maintain active collaborations across clinical, academic, and industry partners to accelerate research translation.

Our work contributes to:

• Peer-reviewed publications in leading cancer research journals.
• Open-access genomic datasets to support community-wide discovery.
• Training and mentorship of the next generation of clinicians and scientists.