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BMB PhD Program Faculty

Daniel Zabransky

Targeting the GI cancer microenvironment

Assistant Professor 

Department of Oncology
School of Medicine

 

Daniel Zabransky

Research Overview

Our laboratory studies how aging shapes the tumor microenvironment (TME) and drives cancer progression, with a primary focus on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC is one of the most lethal malignancies and disproportionately affects older adults, who experience worse outcomes and limited responses to current therapies. We have shown that age-associated changes in fibroblasts create a more tumor-promoting TME that accelerates the growth and spread of PDAC. We are particularly interested in how secreted factors mediate these age-driven effects and whether targeting them can improve treatment responses for patients with PDAC.

In addition to our work in PDAC, we investigate the immunobiology of cholangiocarcinoma, another aggressive gastrointestinal cancer. Our group has developed unique models of IDH1-mutant cholangiocarcinoma, which we use to study disease mechanisms and test new therapeutic strategies for this rare malignancy.

 

 

 

Selected Publications