Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death, with most mortality driven by metastasis – typically to the liver or lungs, but rarely to the brain. While organ-specific spread of cancer, or organotropism, has been recognized since the 19th century, the cellular and microenvironmental factors that govern it remain poorly understood.
Dr. Pourmaleki hypothesizes that primary tumors harbor molecular or cellular features predictive of future metastasis, which may currently go undetected using standard diagnostic methods. In this project, she will develop a tool to model metastasis through space and time and use it to identify interacting tumor-immune cells that predict organotropism. Dr. Pourmaleki will also validate these tumor-immune interactions using a second tool and 3D tumor data from patients with CRC, together with lab experimentation.