Prof. Ruth Scherz-Shouval

For tumors to expand, metastasize, and evade immune surveillance, cancer cells must recruit non-malignant cells, including macrophages, fibroblasts and endothelial cells. These cells, collectively termed the tumor microenvironment, are reprogrammed to support the tumor at the expense of its host. 

We hypothesize that this reprogramming is mediated by evolutionary conserved stress responses, and we aim to elucidate these underlying mechanisms. 

Our goal is to understand how tumors develop into systemic malignancies, predict which tumors are more likely to do so, and design therapeutic strategies to overcome these malignancies by targeting genetically stable elements in the tumor microenvironment