My research is focused on the characterization, and biological understanding, of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in pancreas cancer. EVs are nanometer-sized lipid-bilayer particles, secreted from cells of all tissue types. They have been found to play significant roles in a variety of pathologies including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. I hypothesize that EVs from pancreas cancer cells significantly alter the behavior and function of surrounding normal cells, contributing to disease progression. Through my work, I aim to develop novel methods for the analytical characterization of EVs using mass spectrometry, and to understand their biological significance in the progression of pancreas cancer, using traditional molecular biology techniques.
