Elena Piskounova

Elena Piskounova is an Adjunct Assistant Professor leading the Piskounova Lab at the Cancer Research Institute, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, located in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. She is affiliated with the Graduate School of Medical Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine and her research is centered on understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer metastasis.

Her research focuses on molecular plasticity, metabolic adaptation, and stress resistance in metastasizing cancer cells. Using patient-derived xenografts of melanoma and pancreatic cancer in vivo and cell culture systems in vitro, her lab identifies key pathways that enable cancer cells to survive and colonize vital organs during advanced metastatic disease. Recent work includes investigating interactions between metastasizing cells and the immune system and tumor microenvironment.

The lab's work has significant therapeutic implications, aiming to develop treatments that specifically target metastatic cells while sparing normal tissues. This research is supported by prestigious recognition such as the Pershing Square Sohn Prize, awarded for her innovative proposal on tRNA modifications in metastasis.

• Pershing Square Sohn Prize

Dr. Piskounova mentors students and trainees within the Tri-Institutional PhD Programs and contributes to cancer research training and education. Her lab is embedded in a world-class research ecosystem surrounded by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, and Harvard Medical School, enabling collaborative and translational research.