Brock Lab
Our lab investigates the role of heterogeneity in cell state transitions, cancer progression, and therapeutic responses.
Our Focus
Drug resistance of tumor cells is the cause of treatment failure for most human cancers. Acquired resistance was observed in the very first clinical administration of a chemotherapeutic agent in 1942. Since that time, vast improvements in chemotherapy- including novel drugs, combination therapies, reduced toxicity, and highly targeted treatments- have extended the lives of many cancer patients. Yet drug resistance remains a major scientific and clinical challenge in the treatment of human cancer. Tumor cell populations are characterized by enormous heterogeneity and plasticity. This variation contributes to disease progression and response to therapy, although the mechanisms are not yet well understood. To address these challenges, we are developing novel technologies and experimental systems rooted in the tools of systems and synthetic biology and bioengineering. |
Lab News
08/22/2024 Caro presented her research at the 2024 National Cancer Institute Junior Investigator Meeting! 07/30/2024 Congratulations to Didi Gardner for successfully defending her thesis: "Investigating cell-cell interactions in the generation and maintenance of heterogeneity in cancer cell populations"! 07/15/2024 Congratulations to Tyler Jost for successfully defending his thesis: "Tools and Methods for Surveying Heterogeneity in Breast Cancer"! 04/20/2023 Amy is a keynote speaker at the CPRIT Symposium on "Expanding Texas Leadership in Computational Oncology throughout the Cancer Continuum" today at Dell Medical School, UT Austin. 04/13/2023 Amy will be giving a talk and Carolina, Daylin, Didi, and Tyler will present posters at AACR 2023. Come visit with us! |