Cancer Biology & Genetics Program

The Mara Sherman Lab

Mara Sherman, PhD

The Mara Sherman lab aims to understand the heterocellular interactions among pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to target these networks for therapeutic benefit. Our research focuses on the tumor-permissive molecular mechanisms underlying cancer-associated fibroblast function as well as immune suppression, and how these stromal mechanisms affect cell fate and function in the pancreatic epithelium with respect to gene expression, metabolism, and cancer cell state. Our laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the mechanistic underpinnings of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, including mouse models of pancreatic cancer, three-dimensional cell culture systems such as patient-derived organoids, and diverse molecular- and cell-biological techniques enabling investigation of the mechanisms underlying tumor-stroma interaction.

Research Projects

Projects

Publications

Abrego J.*, Sanford-Crane H.*, Oon C., Xiao X., Betts C.B., Sun D., Nagarajan S., Bhattacharyya S., Xia Z., Coussens L.M., Tontonoz P., Sherman M.H. (2022). A cancer cell-intrinsic GOT2-PPAR axis suppresses antitumor immunity. Cancer Discovery. 12(10):2414-2433. (*Co-first author)

Helms E.J., Berry M.W., Chaw R.C., DuFort C.C., Sun D., Onate M.K., Oon C., Bhattacharyya S., Sanford-Crane H., Horton W., Finan J.M., Sattler A., Makar R., Dawson D.W., Xia Z., Hingorani S.R., Sherman M.H. (2022). Mesenchymal lineage heterogeneity underlies non-redundant functions of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cancer Discovery. 12(2):484-501.

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People

Mara Sherman, PhD

The Mara Sherman lab aims to understand the heterocellular interactions among pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to target these networks for therapeutic benefit.
PhD, University of California, Los Angeles