Daniel Ackerman, PhD

My recent work in the PIGI lab has focused on overcoming difficulties surrounding the generation of patient-derived models of primary liver cancer. This emphasis on improving cancer models stems from my conviction that therapeutic translation in cancer research could be greatly accelerated by increasing the availability of models that represent the diversity and complexity of human disease.

I’m particularly interested in creating models that facilitate research into common but understudied cancer therapies, such as the locoregional therapies commonly performed for intermediate stage liver cancer. To achieve these ambitious goals, we have generated a promising experimental system of matched in vitro and in vivo models representing the wide genetic diversity of hepatocellular carcinoma and are applying multiple methodologies to identify potential improvements to both the treatment and the imaging of primary liver cancer.