Research at the Aguirre Lab

​The Aguirre lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a basic and translational oncology laboratory within the Hale Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research. We utilize a variety of genomic, functional genetic, molecular and cell biology approaches to identify novel therapeutic strategies in pancreatic cancer and to test these strategies in patient-derived models or genetically engineered mouse models of the disease. We actively collaborate extensively with clinical oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, geneticists and computational biologists to perform multi-disciplinary basic and translational research. Key research efforts include:
 

1. Functional genetic screening approaches to identify new therapeutic targets in cancer.
2. Examination of novel small molecule and antibody-based therapeutics in pancreatic cancer models.
3. Investigation of mechanisms of response and resistance to RAS-directed therapies in pancreatic and other GI malignancies.
4. Genomic approaches, such as genome sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing, to understand the molecular and phenotypic heterogeneity of human pancreatic and colon cancers.
5. Study of human organoid models and genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer to understand the biology and progression of the disease.
6. Biopsy-driven studies of pancreatic cancer patients to guide precision medicine strategies.
   ​