Lucia Jilaveanu MD, PhD

I conduct bench-based translational research primarily focused on understanding the biology and the mechanisms involved in the development of brain metastasis, uncovering novel biological and molecular determinants of brain metastasis and biomarker discovery for patients with melanoma that has metastasized to the brain. Our most recent  lab-based efforts are related to furthering our understanding of how the tumor microenvironment controls the outgrowth of micrometastatic lesions. For these studies we have established a research pipeline using an integrated proteo-genomics approach and including human biospecimen studies, development of new murine models, functional genomics and cell biology. Building on these resources, we identified novel molecular and cellular events that might facilitate metastatic outgrowth in melanoma that has spread to the brain. Currently, our focus revolves around in-depth investigations of these events with the overarching objective to unravel the therapeutic value of their targeted inhibition, as novel approaches for the treatment of melanoma brain metastasis.