Jason Barzel Ross

Presented by Sohail Tavazoie

B.S., Stanford University

Molecular Determinants of Tumor Re-initiation in Breast Cancer

Jason received his undergraduate training in biology at Stanford University, where he was actively involved in stem cell research. Upon joining my lab, he chose to pursue a very challenging project centered on the biology of cancer metastasis. Many scientists would correctly refer to this project as a fishing expedition, but this did not deter Jason.

Cancer cells start off in an organ such as the breast by growing on a scaffold called extracellular matrix that forms a sort of carpet that cancer cells depend on. This scaffold provides signals to cancer cells that enable their growth and survival. Jason sought to answer the question of how cancer cells that leave the growth factor-rich scaffolding of the breast survive and grow in the blood or distant organs, which can lack these signals cancer cells require for growth. By purifying rare cancer cells that were professionals at surviving in the blood and in distant organs, and identifying the genes they turn up, Jason made some surprising findings. He found that these cells create their own scaffold of extracellular matrix, which provides them with signals that drive their growth and expansion. These cells can thus continue to proliferate in hostile environments without being anchored to a surface. By reducing the level of one such gene, Jason found that he could reduce the ability of breast cancer cells to spread. Jason showed that by blocking the ability of cancer cells to make or to interact with their self-made scaffolding, he could suppress breast cancer metastasis. His findings reveal yet another clever trick that cancer cells utilize to overcome biological barriers that keep most cancers in check.

Jason is currently completing his clinical training and plans to pursue radiation oncology and a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer research in the future. It was a tough expedition, Jason, but you certainly caught the fish you were searching for.