2009 Free to Breathe Young Investigator Research Grant
Mark Onaitis, MD
Duke University Medical Center
Research Project:
Understanding Tumor-initiating Cells
Summary:
Dr. Onaitis is seeking to better understand the complexity of lung cancer tumors by characterizing tumor-initiating cells and how they respond to certain molecular signals. He will investigate how the type and location of a tumor-initiating cell contributes to the aggressiveness of the cancer. A better understanding of the different types of cells within a tumor and how those cells are affected by cell signals could help develop more effective targeted therapies.