Cayla E. Jewett, PhD

Cilia are small, hairlike protrusions found on the surface of cells; some cells in the lining of our organs have many dozens of cilia, which beat in a coordinated manner to drive fluid across the tissue. These multiciliated cells escape many guidelines governing normal cellular behavior. For example, too many copies of a cellular organelle called a centriole can drive tumorigenesis, but multiciliated cells require extra centrioles for normal function. In addition, cancer cells often hijack the DNA damage pathway for survival, but Dr. Jewett has found that multiciliated cells utilize the DNA damage pathway for their development. Given these parallels, how multiciliated cells refrain from becoming cancerous remains a mystery. Dr. Jewett will investigate the multiciliated cell system to understand how centriole overproduction and DNA damage are controlled to prevent tumorigenesis, with the hope of discovering new targetable molecules for cancer therapeutics.