Themes

We study the adaptive programmes that drive tumour resilience.

Our goal is to turn tumour-specific adaptations into therapeutic opportunities.

Tumour-intrinsic mechanisms of resilience

Cancer cells survive therapy by rewiring intrinsic signalling and stress-response pathways.

We investigate how oncogenic signalling networks, DNA damage response defects, and adaptive stress programmes enable tumour cells to resist treatment.

By defining these tumour-intrinsic dependencies, we aim to identify tumour vulnerabilities that can be selectively targeted to overcome resistance while sparing normal tissues.

We found that experimental drug CHK1i selectively exaggerates the cellular stress level in pancreatic cancer cells, inducing extensive DNA damage (ɣH2AX) in them.

High RASAL2 expression promotes apoptosis resistance in breast tumours but creates sensitivity to EGFR/MEK inhibition. Adaptive programmes such as apoptosis resistance may represent common mechanisms via which tumours withstand microenvironmental pressures.

Tumour–host mechanisms of resilience

Cancer progression and therapy response are shaped by dynamic interactions between tumour cells and their surrounding microenvironment.

We investigate how tumour cells communicate with immune cells and microbial communities to evade immune surveillance and withstand therapeutic pressure.

By defining these tumour–host interactions, we aim to identify innovative strategies that improve the durability of cancer therapies.

Technologies to study tumour resilience

Understanding cancer adaptation requires tools that capture tumour cell behaviour with high resolution and at scale.

We build and apply experimental and computational strategies, including physiologically relevant cell models, high-throughput imaging, single-cell and spatial profiling, and machine learning, to map tumour biology across molecular, cellular, and tissue contexts.

By turning complex biological and clinical data into actionable insights, we aim to identify predictive biomarkers that accelerate the development of effective cancer treatments.

Our FastFUCCI vector is an all-in-one transduction system for visualising cell cycle progression in live cells. Coupled with our automated single-cell tracking and imaging pipeline, it enables high-throughput, quantitative analysis of cell cycle dynamics and phase durations.