"The Sontag Foundation Distinguished Scientist Award is one of the best career development awards a young scientist can receive. You are part of a community of brilliant researchers that continue to support you throughout your career."

About DSA-Funded Research

Cancer is a disease defined by complexity and it has recently been appreciated that many lethal tumors contain a high degree of cellular heterogeneity. Moreover, tumor cells are organized in a cellular hierarchy, with a cancer stem cell at the apex. Cancer stem cells have been characterized in a variety of cancers, including malignant brain tumors, and have been shown to be responsible for tumor formation and therapeutic resistance. The Lathia Lab's main interest is how cancer stem cells from malignant brain tumors interact with their surrounding microenvironment, which provides signals to preserve the malignancy of these cells. Specifically, they are interested in cell to cell communication mechanisms as these will help better define the biology of this population and may serve as potent therapies. To fully appreciate cancer stem cell interactions in the appropriate microenvironment, they are developing imaging models to study the communication in real time.