Andrew Ewald

Andrew Ewald, Ph.D., serves as the Virginia deAcetis Professor and Director of the Department of Cell Biology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His research focuses on understanding collective cell behaviors in tissue development and disease progression, with emphasis on breast cancer metastasis mechanisms. Dr. Ewald earned his B.S. in Physics from Haverford College and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics from Caltech, followed by postdoctoral training at UCSF.

The Ewald Lab develops innovative 3D culture systems to model tumor initiation, invasion, and metastasis, integrating cutting-edge microscopy, genetics, and bioinformatics. Research themes include:

• Cellular dynamics of breast cancer metastasis
• Molecular toolkits driving invasion programs
• Tumor microenvironment interactions (immune cells, fibroblasts)
• KRAS-dependent invasion heterogeneity
• Biomechanical regulation of dissemination

Publication analysis reveals consistent focus on metastasis mechanisms using advanced organoid models, computational approaches, and in vivo systems. Recent work emphasizes spatial dynamics of cell migration, microenvironmental regulation of invasion, and therapeutic targeting of metastatic processes.

Dr. Ewald founded the Cancer Invasion and Metastasis Program (CIM), coordinating >40 faculty across Johns Hopkins to translate basic research into clinical trials. Collaborations include patient advocacy groups (METAvivor, BCRF) and federal networks (NCI CTD2, PSOC). He currently advises seven graduate students investigating metastasis biology and epithelial dynamics.