Cancer Biology & Genetics Program

The Mara Sherman Lab

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Research

Mara Sherman
Mara Sherman, PhD

The Mara Sherman lab aims to understand the heterocellular interactions among pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to target these networks for therapeutic benefit. Our research focuses on the tumor-permissive molecular mechanisms underlying cancer-associated fibroblast function as well as immune suppression, and how these stromal mechanisms affect cell fate and function in the pancreatic epithelium with respect to gene expression, metabolism, and cancer cell state. Our laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the mechanistic underpinnings of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, including mouse models of pancreatic cancer, three-dimensional cell culture systems such as patient-derived organoids, and diverse molecular- and cell-biological techniques enabling investigation of the mechanisms underlying tumor-stroma interaction.

Research Projects

Featured News

Dr. Mara Sherman in her lab, with two trainees working in the background
Into the Matrix: MSK’s Mara Sherman is Unlocking the Secrets of the Fibrotic Fortress that Surrounds and Protects Pancreatic Cancer
Dr. Mara Sherman's lab at the Sloan Kettering Institute is “all pancreas, all the time.” Learn how her research program is illuminating interactions between cancer cells and the dense weave of fibrous cells that surrounds and protects pancreatic tumors.

Publications Highlights

Abrego J.*, Sanford-Crane H.*, Oon C., Xiao X., Betts C.B., Sun D., Nagarajan S., Bhattacharyya S., Xia Z., Coussens L.M., Tontonoz P., Sherman M.H. (2022). A cancer cell-intrinsic GOT2-PPAR axis suppresses antitumor immunity. Cancer Discovery. 12(10):2414-2433. (*Co-first author)

Helms E.J., Berry M.W., Chaw R.C., DuFort C.C., Sun D., Onate M.K., Oon C., Bhattacharyya S., Sanford-Crane H., Horton W., Finan J.M., Sattler A., Makar R., Dawson D.W., Xia Z., Hingorani S.R., Sherman M.H. (2022). Mesenchymal lineage heterogeneity underlies non-redundant functions of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cancer Discovery. 12(2):484-501.

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People

Mara Sherman

Mara Sherman, PhD

  • The Mara Sherman lab aims to understand the heterocellular interactions among pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to target these networks for therapeutic benefit.
  • PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
shermam1@mskcc.org
Email Address

Members

Frank Arnold
Frank Arnold

Postdoctoral Fellow

Sohinee Bhattacharyya

Staff Scientist

Annachiara Del Vecchio

Postdoctoral Fellow

Nadine Hernández

Senior Administrative Assistant

Miranda Hunter

Research Associate

Zainab Hussain

Research Fellow

Vivien Low

Research Lab Manager

M. Kathrina Oñate

Graduate Student

Chet Oon
Chet Oon

Research Assistant

Sneha Pramod

Graduate Student

Holly Sandborg

Graduate Student

Lab Alumni
Casey Robinson
Casey Robinson

Administrative Assistant

Lab Affiliations

Achievements

  • Lustgarten Foundation Therapeutics Focused Research Program awardee (2021)
  • Pew-Stewart Scholar Award (2020)
  • American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (2018)
  • V Foundation V Scholar Award (2017)
  • NIH/NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (2015)

Open Positions

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Open Positions

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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.

Mara Sherman discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Autobahn Labs, Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)

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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