Dian Yang, PhD

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is one of the deadliest cancers because it evolves extremely quickly, changing its “cell identity” to grow, spread and resist treatment. We do not know, however, how these cell identity changes happen inside real tumors and which identity drives the disease forward. To address this, we will apply new technologies and develop new model systems to track SCLC cells as they change identities in tumors. Our goals are to uncover how different SCLC cell states fuel tumor growth and identify the gene programs that facilitate SCLC cells toward specific cell states. By understanding how SCLC cells change their identity over time, we aim to reveal new “Achilles' heels” during the evolution of this deadly cancer and open the door to new strategies that prevent SCLC cells from adapting and becoming resistant to therapies.

Supported by the Mary Fuller Russell Research Fund