The mechano-biology of cell division

In the human body, cells constantly divide to maintain and repair tissues. However uncontrolled cell division leads to tissue overgrowth and ultimately, cancer. I want to understand how cell division is controlled in normal tissue and how it is altered by genetic mutations in cancer. I will focus on the role of an oncogene, Ras, as I have previously discovered that it directly controls how cells divide. Ras activation occurs in many different types of cancer, but particularly pancreatic cancer. Therefore, I will use cutting-edge microscopy techniques to image cells dividing within normal tissue and pancreatic cancer tumoroids. I will ask how Ras subverts the normal cell division process within these tissues and how abnormal cell divisions disrupt normal tissue organization to form tumours. By discovering fundamental principles of how cancer cells divide, this work will identify new molecular targets for pancreatic cancer treatment.