Most cancers develop in the epithelial tissue, which includes the skin and internal organ linings.  Hemidesmosomes (HDs) are adhesive structures that anchor epithelial cells to the underlying base layer and maintain tissue integrity. While HD disassembly occurs normally during wound healing, tumor cells can exploit this process to detach and spread to other parts of the body. Dr. Bagde is studying how HD components interlock like Lego blocks to form stable HDs in healthy tissues and how they disassemble in cancerous tissues. To investigate this phenomenon, Dr. Bagde plans to develop organoids—self-organizing mini-organs grown in a petri dish to study disease progression. By creating simple base layers that simulate the supportive properties of the native organ base layer, he plans to promote the growth of both normal and cancerous organoids. This work has the potential to support the development of personalized cancer therapies based on patient-derived tumor samples. Dr. Bagde received his PhD from Cornell University, Ithaca and his MS and BS from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune.

Head and neck cancers usually begin in the squamous cells that line the mucosal surfaces inside the mouth, nose and throat. Even with aggressive treatment including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, these tumors often recur with poor prognosis. Dr. Mowery will use patient samples and mouse models to investigate why these cancers are resistant to radiation treatment and to test new therapeutic approaches to improve outcomes for patients. She will also conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of using a combination of a radiation sensitizer (a drug that makes cancer cells more vulnerable to radiation therapy), radiation therapy and immunotherapy to treat patients with recurrent head and neck cancer.