ENABLE talk: Metabolism and therapeutics resistance in breast cancer
She graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1999, while working at Dr. Jerry Workman´s lab. Kristina continued her career on chromatin regulation during her Biochemistry PhD at the University of Dundee in Scotland, in the group of Dr. Tom Owen-Hughes. She continued her scientific career with a postdoctoral position at Dr Martin Jechlinger´s lab at EMBL Monterotondo. There, she moved from chromatin regulation to oncology research focusing on the understanding of breast cancer recurrence, the leading cause of death in this type of cancer.
Her current research at IFOM aims to bring together the main themes of her previous work, studying metabolic reprogramming of breast cancer, focusing on how both genetic and environmental factors determine metabolic plasticity through the progression of breast cancer. To this end, they use both mouse models as well as ex vivo organoid culture to determine which cells are capable of surviving chemotherapy and to identify more effective treatments against residual disease.