Damon Runyon Researchers

The exploration of human tumors in their native environment is challenging, precluding a deeper understanding of how cancer and important therapeutics work.  Dr. Puleston is developing new ways to investigate human cancer by keeping tumor-bearing organs alive outside of the body, allowing for the experimental study of tumors within human tissues. Employing this approach to study hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the most lethal forms of liver cancer, Dr. Puleston will expose HCC-laden livers to immunotherapy drugs and metabolic tracers to reveal the metabolic landscape of HCC cancers and how tumor metabolism is shaped following drug treatment. Through the study of tumors and anti-cancer agents in situ, Dr. Puleston hopes to elucidate new pathways with therapeutic potential and novel strategies to optimize existing therapeutics.