Memorial Hospital Research Laboratories

The Britta Weigelt Lab

Britta Weigelt, PhD

Director, Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Our laboratory focuses on the use of high-throughput genomics and functional genomics to identify drivers of rare gynecologic cancer types, and to define the clinical and biological significance of intra-tumor phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity in these tumors. Dr. Weigelt’s laboratory is devising strategies to overcome the challenges posed by intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity, based on state-of-the-art sequencing analyses of circulating cell free (cf)DNA and of single cells. By bringing together traditional pathological techniques with genetic analyses and functional studies, the Weigelt lab seeks to refine the classification of gynecologic cancers and identify novel drivers and potential therapeutic targets of specific tumor types. In addition, Dr. Weigelt is investigating if cfDNA analysis (so-called “liquid biopsies”) can accurately monitor the disease course of women with endometrial or cervical cancer, and if resistance mechanisms to platinum salts or PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer patients can be identified in cfDNA.

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Featured News

Finding

Investigators Lea Moukarzel, Kimberly Dessources, Britta Weigelt, and Sarah Kim in the lab.

Unique Genetic Change Found in Rare Ovarian Tumor Could Spare Patients from Unnecessary Treatment

The research focused on sclerosing stromal tumor, a rare, benign ovarian tumor that is not cancer but can be misdiagnosed as cancer.

In the Lab

Black-and-white microscopic image of cell from human granular cell tumor

A Study of Rare Tumors Uncovers the Presence of Tumor-Suppressing Genes

Studying the genes of granular cell tumors has revealed a previously unknown process through which cells can turn cancerous.

In the Clinic

Man and woman in white lab coats looking at test tubes

Single-Cell Analysis Enables Researchers to Understand the Differences within Tumors

Scientists are decoding the genetic changes that drive individual cancer cells. This may help them develop more-effective targeted therapies.

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Publications Highlights

Molecular Characterization of Endometrial Carcinomas in Black and White Patients Reveals Disparate Drivers with Therapeutic Implications. Weigelt B, Marra A, Selenica P, Rios-Doria E, Momeni-Boroujeni A, Berger MF, Arora K, Nemirovsky D, Iasonos A, Chakravarty D, Abu-Rustum NR, Da Cruz Paula A, Dessources K, Ellenson LH, Liu YL, Aghajanian C, Brown CL. Cancer Discov 2023; 13(11):2356-2369. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-0546.

High-Sensitivity Mutation Analysis of Cell-Free DNA for Disease Monitoring in Endometrial Cancer. Ashley CW, Selenica P, Patel J, Wu M, Nincevic J, Lakhman Y, Zhou Q, Shah RH, Berger MF, Da Cruz Paula A, Brown DN, Marra A, Iasonos A, Momeni-Boroujeni A, Alektiar KM, Long Roche K, Zivanovic O, Mueller JJ, Zamarin D, Broach VA, Sonoda Y, Leitao MM, Friedman CF, Jewell E, Reis-Filho JS, Ellenson LH, Aghajanian C, Abu-Rustum NR, Cadoo K, Weigelt B. Clin Cancer Res 2023; 29:410-421. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-1134.

Microsatellite Instability-High Endometrial Cancers with MLH1 Promoter Hypermethylation Have Distinct Molecular and Clinical Profiles. Manning-Geist BL, Liu YL, Devereaux KA, Paula ADC, Zhou QC, Ma W, Selenica P, Ceyhan-Birsoy O, Moukarzel LA, Hoang T, Gordhandas S, Rubinstein MM, Friedman CF, Aghajanian C, Abu-Rustum NR, Stadler ZK, Reis-Filho JS, Iasonos A, Zamarin D, Ellenson LH, Lakhman Y, Mandelker DL, Weigelt B. Clin Cancer Res 2022; 28: 4302-4311. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-22-0713.

Identification of Recurrent FHL2-GLI2 Oncogenic Fusion in Sclerosing Stromal Tumors of the Ovary. Kim SH, Da Cruz Paula A, Basili T, Dopeso H, Bi R, Pareja F, da Silva EM, Gularte-Mérida R, Sun Z, Fujisawa S, Smith CG, Ferrando L, Martins Sebastião AP, Bykov Y, Li A, Silveira C, Ashley CW, Stylianou A, Selenica P, Samore WR, Jungbluth AA, Zamarin D, Abu-Rustum NR, Helin K, Soslow RA, Reis-Filho JS, Oliva E, Weigelt B. Nat Commun 2020; 11:44. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-0546.

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People

Britta Weigelt, PhD

Director, Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Molecular geneticist Britta Weigelt studies the genomics of gynecologic cancers and the use of circulating cell-free DNA for disease monitoring and the identification of therapy resistance mechanisms.

212-639-2332: Office Phone
View physician profile: Physician profile

Members

David Brown
Senior Computational Biologist

Edaise Da Silva
Senior Research Scientist

Jose Dopeso Gonzalez
Senior Research Scientist

Flavia Giacomini
Visiting PhD Student/ Graduate Research Assistant

Christina Harlev
Graduate Research Assistant

Sarah Kim
Assistant Attending, Gynecology Service, Department of Surgery

Pier Selenica
Senior Research Technician

Mackenzie W. Sullivan
Gynecologic Oncology Fellow

Laxmi Yashwant Gusain
Research Assistant

Selma Yeni Yildirim
Senior Research Scientist

Lab Alumni

Arnaud Da Cruz Paula, PhD — Arnaud Da Cruz Paula
Research Associate

Olga T. Filippova — Olga T Filippova
GYN Oncology Fellow

Lea Moukarzel, MD — Lea Moukarzel
GYN Oncology Fellow

Anthe Stylianou , BSc — Anthe Stylianou
Research Technician

William A. Zammarrelli III
GYN Oncology Fellow

Lab Affiliations

Open Positions

To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center

To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs

Get in Touch

212-639-2332

Office Phone
212-639-3198

Lab Phone

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Britta Weigelt discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

Repare Therapeutics
Professional Services and Activities

SAGA Diagnostics
Professional Services and Activities

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at ecoi@mskcc.org.

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