An intro to our lab
The main research focus in our lab is pancreatic cancer, an unmet clinical need with dismal prognosis.
Members of the group span the whole basic-to-translational research spectrum, with backgrounds in clinical medicine, mathematics, biochemistry, and biomedical sciences. Employing both wet-lab and computational methods, we investigate crucial aspects of (pancreatic) cancer development and therapy. Ongoing projects in the lab broadly cover two key areas:
- Mechanotransduction and signal integration from the extracellular matrix to the nucleus, with a focus on Rassf1a,
- Immuno-oncology and immunotherapy of pancreatic and oesophageal cancers, with a focus on T cells, NK cells, and macrophages.
More recently, we have begun investigating other aspects of cancer, including the complex interplay between cancer development and mental health conditions.
Key Discoveries
2004 - Identified the Hippo signalling pathway in humans. Science
2007 - Reported the first evidence for tumour suppression via Lats1 phosphorylation of YAP. Mol Cell
2014 - Demonstrated regulatory control of CDK2 and BRCA2 in response to genomic stress. Nat Cell Biol
2015 - Identified epigenetic mediated selection of alternative promoters as a mechanism of cell phenotype. Curr Biol
2018-2019 - Outlined a role for Hippo signalling in chromatin regulation at the nuclear envelope. EMBO J, 3 papers
2022 - Identified TET2 loss/GATA6 silencing as drivers of aggressive PDAC, reversible by metformin & vit C. Gastro
2024 - Developed human pancreatic avatars as novel disease models. Sci Adv
2024 - Described tissue-resident NK cells in the pancreas and their role in tumour control. eLife
2024 - Developed techniques to explore the tumour microenvironment in mouse models of PDAC. Curr Protoc
2025 - Demonstrated a role for radiotherapy + immunotherapy therapeutic regimens involving macrophages. Gut
Industry Links
Oxford BioMedica
Epicombi.ai