Washington University in St. Louis (WU)
My postdoctoral research focuses on the role of peritoneal macrophages and dendritic cells in gastrointestinal cancer metastasis under Dr. Gwendalyn Randolph’s mentorship. By comparing human and mouse peritoneal immune cells, we identified significant interspecies differences, including the rarity of GATA6+ macrophages in humans and the prevalence of dendritic cells in the peritoneal cavity. These findings, published in Nature Immunology, offer new insights into the peritoneal immune environment and its role in cancer progression. Moving forward, my research will explore the function and mechanisms of peritoneal myeloid cells in gastrointestinal cancer metastasis, aiming to develop novel immunotherapies to improve patient outcomes.