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Research Interests

Keywords: Molecular Oncology - Mechanisms of tumor progression and metastasis

Description of Research Activities: Research in my laboratory deals with cancer metastasis, the spread of cancer, which is responsible for most deaths due to cancer. Our aim is to clarify the mechanisms of metastasis and their molecular basis sufficiently well, to enable development of effective therapeutic strategies to combat metastasis. Some of our work, in part in collaboration with members of the Medical Biophysics Department, involves in vivo videomicroscopy and novel quantitative histological approaches to study metastasis, tumor dormancy and angiogenesis.

We also study an oncogene-induced protein called osteopontin (OPN), in collaboration with Dr. Alan Tuck and other colleagues. We are studying the role of OPN in cancer from several points of view, including: how OPN is regulated at the genetic level, how it functions to make cancer cells behave more aggressively, and the clinical significance of OPN levels in cancer patients' blood and tumors.

Another ongoing interest in the laboratory is the effect of the timing of surgery during different phases of the menstrual cycle, in pre-menopausal women with breast cancer. In all of these studies, the laboratory has a translational focus, attempting to link molecular, basic studies with clinical studies.

Selected Publications

1. Chang, P-L., L. Harkin, Y-H. Hsieh, P. Hicks, K. Sappayatosok, S. Yodsanga, S. Swasdison, A.F. Chambers, C.A. Elmets and K-J. Ho. 2008. Osteopontin expression in normal skin and nonmelanoma skin tumors. Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry, 56: 57-66.
2. Graham, K.C., N.L. Ford, L.T. MacKenzie, C.O. Postenka, A.C. Groom, I.C. MacDonald, D.W. Holdsworth, M. Drangova and A.F. Chambers. 2008. Non-invasive quantification of tumor volume in preclinical liver metastasis models using contrast-enhanced x-ray computed tomography, Investigative Radiology 43: 92-99.
3. Xu, J., A.F. Chambers, A.B. Tuck, and D.I. Rodenhiser. 2008. Molecular cytogenetic characterization of human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-468 and its variant 468LN, which displays aggressive lymphatic metastasis. Cancer Genetics and Cytogenetics 181: 1-7.
4. Hedley, B.D., D.R. Welch, A.L. Allan, W. Al-Katib, D.W. Dales, C.O. Postenka, G. Casey, I.C. MacDonald and A.F. Chambers. 2008. Down-regulation of osteopontin contributes to metastasis suppression by breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1. International Journal of Cancer 123: 526-534.
5. Graham, K., S.A. Detombe, L.T. MacKenzie, D.W. Holdsworth, I.C. MacDonald, A.F. Chambers and M. Drangova. 2008. Contrast-enhanced microcomputed tomography using intraperitoneal contrast injection for the assessment of tumor-burden in liver metastasis models, Investigative Radiology 43: 488-495.