The ASPIRE Path in Molecular Medicine

My Ph.D. research focuses on developing mouse models to investigate the extrusion of breast cancer cells from normal mammary epithelia. We aim to model early tumorigenesis by inducing extrusion through oncogenic signals, such as Ras or PyMT, and by disrupting mitotic division with Kif18B loss. These models capture the earliest steps of tumor initiation, specifically the disruption of normal tissue architecture and tumor cell invasion into the ductal lumen and surrounding tissue, closely mirroring primary tumor formation and metastatic spread in humans. The ultimate goal is to characterize the molecular signaling pathways involved in this process and validate these pathways in human tumor samples. By identifying key molecular regulators, I plan to generate foundational evidence that could inform the development of targeted therapies to prevent tumor invasion and metastasis. This research will significantly contribute to understanding how early-stage tumors progress and lay the groundwork for developing strategies to intervene before full-blown metastasis occurs.