Graduate Student
University Health Network, Canada
I am a graduate student in the lab of Dr. David Kirsch, located at Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto, Canada. My research focuses on identifying factors within the soft tissue sarcoma (STS) microenvironment that contribute to distant metastasis in nearly half of all patients with high-risk, localized disease. Low oxygen levels within primary STS are associated with an increased risk of distant metastasis, yet effective therapies targeting hypoxic cells are scarce. Using unique genetically engineered mouse models of STS, my project aims to determine how STS cells adapt to hypoxic conditions and whether inhibiting such adaptations can reduce metastatic failure.