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Finally, I would like to thank the brave patients who contributed samples to these studies. While I’m treating patients with the current state-of-the-art, members of the St. Laurent Lab at @MassGenBrigham are pursuing what comes next from this promising new treatment strategy.

Thank you to all my co-authors and collaborators; this was possible because of the incredible team. I’d especially like to highlight future physician scientists Grace Xu and @alex2110x as well Yemin Wang and David Huntsman, and of course, mentorship from the one and only @CKadoch

With the addition of carboplatin chemotherapy, a common treatment for endometrial cancer, tumors grew even more slowly and mice lived longer. There is more to do, but we identified a new avenue for treating patients with these challenging cancers.

Losing the common version allows cancers to become more stem cell like, while the less common versions are sufficient to keep the cancer cells alive. We discovered that two new drugs can block these alternative mSWI/SNFs from doing their job, and the tumors grew more slowly.

Called the mSWI/SNF complex, a very intricate system built from many components that can assemble into multple versions. We found that cancer utilizes mutations in two specific proteins, called ARID1A and ARID1B, to prevent the most common version of mSWI/SNF from assembling.

Our findings pinpoint a new Achilles' heel for these cancers. We uncovered that they are dependent on a specific molecular machine that regulates how DNA is organized in the nucleus.

This is why I’m so excited to share our latest study published in Nature Genetics: "Shifted assembly and function of mSWI/SNF family subcomplexes underlie targetable dependencies in dedifferentiated endometrial carcinomas"

They do this by becoming more like a stem cell (i.e. by dedifferentating), which are immortal and can grow rapidly, but little was known about the mechanisms that contribute to the agressiveness and treatment resistance of these cancers.

As a gynecologic oncologist and scientific researcher, my mission is to translate basic science into patient benefit. Dedifferentiated endometrial carcinomas are among the most aggressive cancers.

New research in @NatureGenet from @DanaFarber’s @CKadoch and @Jstlaurent_MD uncovers potential targeted therapy for endometrial cancer. @kadochlab ➡️ https://t.co/34LHIke5XF

You can donate to our mission here and stay tuned for future events from our lab.

We are actively recruiting talented postdoctoral fellows and research associates to join our team. Please apply or share these opportunities with your network.

In the St. Laurent Lab, we’re on a mission to improve the lives of patients and families affected by gynecologic cancer. Are you also passionate about making a difference? There are two ways to get involved:

Most importantly are the patients, families & advocates whose bravery & determination inspire me to develop new treatment and screening strategies for Gyn cancers. I work with the urgency that comes from knowing many amazing people & their families who need these breakthroughs.

Cigall Kadoch @CKadoch and the generous and tenacious members of the @kadochlab taught me that high-impact science takes grit and the application of cutting-edge techniques focused through the lens of tangible advancements in patient care.

Colleen Feltmate and Whitfield Growdon demonstrated the value of marrying your research and clinical interests. @kevin_elias not only gave me bench space for off-hours, but also taught me to take chances on people.

The late, great, ever-inspirational Randy Moon @UWISCRM always told me: “if you're not asking difficult questions, you should be sitting on a beach with a pina colada because someone else will do it.”

Charlotte Kuperwasser @KUPERWASSERLAB and Lisa Arendt taught me how murine and patient derived tissue models can be combined to reveal fundamental concepts in cancer development.

Mentorship is so important, and I’m fortunate to have many mentors who shaped my personal and professional development. Dean Madden showed me how much joy can be found in following your curiosity.