Chenxi Tian, PhD

Dr. Tian studies pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC is characterized by an extremely stiff texture, which is caused by accumulation of excessive extracellular matrix (ECM). The compositions of ECM, known to have major effects on tumor progression, are not well understood in PDAC disease. She aims to identify global ECM changes during PDAC progression by proteomic approaches, and to investigate how these changes impact cancer progression. The uncovered ECM of PDAC will provide novel insights into diagnosis, prognosis and treatments of this very difficult disease.