Home Department: Science, Technology, & Society
Mentor: Calvin Kuo (Medicine - Hematology)

“Modeling Human Endometrial Stem Cell Biology and Tumorigenesis using Organoids”

The endometrium (uterine lining) regenerates each menstrual cycle and is involved in common disorders like endometrial cancer. Using genetic engineering of patient-derived endometrial organoids, Alexis will investigate the contributions of prevalent mutations in the TP53, MYC, and PPP2R1A genes to the inception of the highly lethal serous endometrial cancer (SEC). She will specifically use prime editing, a relatively new technology, to genetically engineer organoids with the SEC-specific PPP2R1A hot spot mutation P179R. Using microscopy, omics, and xenograft approaches, she will also examine molecular and cellular characteristics of these organoids to lend insight into how cancer arises in the endometrium.