Welcome to the Mercurio Laboratory in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Cancer Biology at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.
We are a talented group of molecular cell biologists with a longstanding interest in understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the initiation and progression of epithelial-derived tumors (carcinomas), especially aggressive, poorly differentiated tumors.
Our research projects emphasize molecular cell biology but they derive from the analysis and clinical behavior of carcinomas. We are particularly interested in identifying mechanisms that account for the loss of differentiation and the highly aggressive behavior of these tumors, and exploiting these mechanisms to improve prognosis and therapy. A major focus of this work is to define mechanisms that control the genesis and function of cancer stem cells and understanding how these cells contribute to tumor initiation, progression and recurrence.
About Our Research
Our laboratory focuses on understanding the molecular pathways that regulate the initiation and progression of carcinomas, with a particular interest in mechanisms which account for the loss of differentiation and highly aggressive behavior of these tumors.
Our Team