Dana Silverbush (University of Pennsylvania): “Multi-Omic Approaches for Deciphering Cellular Heterogeneity and Plasticity in Cancer”

Abstract:

Tumors are complex and heterogeneous systems, which challenge their classification and treatment. The Silverbush lab decodes tumor heterogeneity and plasticity to understand how cancer cells transform to become more aggressive or evade treatment. We particularly examine hard-to-treat cancers with high heterogeneity, focusing on the notorious kings of heterogeneity and aggressiveness: brain cancers. To achieve this goal, we develop computational multi-omic single-cell tools. These tools enable us, for the first time, to simultaneously measure DNA methylation, point mutations, and transcriptional activity in the same single cells. We then use these tools to study patient samples, often treated with innovative clinical trials, and build solutions to understand whom the treatment can help, how to improve it, and what the optimal time window is for administering it.

Biography:

Dana started as a computer scientist with a B.S., M.S., and PhD from the Computer Science School at Tel Aviv University, focusing on deciphering abnormal signaling in cancer using AI, ML, and network approaches. Wanting to bridge the gap between research and the clinic, she joined as a shared postdoc between the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital. Her postdoctoral studies involved developing new approaches for multi-omic single-cell techniques and studying the interlinks between genetics, DNA methylation, and transcription.

Joining the Cancer Biology department at UPenn was an easy decision for Dana. Here, she built a collaborative and interdisciplinary team focusing on cutting-edge technologies, pivotal research on tumor heterogeneity, and its impact on resistance mechanisms in glioma clinical trials. She believes that having a versatile skill set and engaging with experts from different disciplines makes the team sharper and enables sustainable contributions to the world of medicine and cancer research. Dana works with the group to develop wet lab and computational solutions to decipher tumor heterogeneity and plasticity, particularly in the context of targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16ezJoIgu1NJyjSafzCkV5r5jN1MxwAvm/view?usp=sharing