Breast cancer mortality largely results from the metastatic dissemination of tumor cells to distant organ sites. Despite ongoing efforts to construct a molecular framework of metastasis, a significant knowledge gap still exists, due in part to the presence of cellular heterogeneity (i.e. diversity) within tumors and the inability to predict how subpopulations of tumor cells drive disease progression. We are particularly interested in how various subpopulations within Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) work together to thrive and spread from the breast to distant organs. We are intensely focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for “cellular teamwork” and how such exchanges facilitate metastasis and therapeutic resistance in breast cancer.
