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BMB PhD Program Faculty

Ashani Weeraratna

Melanoma, aging, and microenvironments 

E.V. McCollum Chair of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 

Bloomberg Distinguished Professor

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, School of Public Health
Oncology Department, School of Medicine

Ashani Weeraratna

Research Overview

My laboratory focuses on trying to unravel the molecular mechanisms that lead to metastatic progression and therapy resistance. We are investigating the link between changes in the tumor microenvironment and melanoma progression, and further, how these changes may affect response to therapy. More recently, we have become very interested in how the aging microenvironment guides changes leading to increased metastasis and therapy resistance, as well as cell-autonomous aspects of therapy resistance, and have demonstrated that normal age-related changes in the microenvironment can contribute to multiple aspects of melanomagenesis and therapy resistance. 

Additional Titles

Associate Director of Laboratory Research, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center 

 

 

Selected Publications