Junior West

Junior West is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan (U-M), within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA). His research focuses on understanding how epithelial barriers are disrupted during tumor progression and metastasis, combining mouse models, 3D organoid cultures, and live cell microscopy. Dr. West earned his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2019 and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (2019–2024). His work explores Claudin proteins, actomyosin dynamics, and metabolic pathways in cancer.

Research Interests:

• Epithelial remodeling in cancer
• Tight junction dysfunction in metastasis
• Cellular mechanisms of tumor invasion
• Developmental processes influencing cancer progression

Lab Location: Biological Sciences Building, Ann Arbor, MI. Contact: westjw@umich.edu. The West Lab collaborates across scales, from cellular/molecular studies to organ-level analyses, to uncover how epithelial barrier breakdown drives metastasis. Recent publications emphasize Claudin 7’s role in suppressing metastasis and E-cadherin’s influence on breast cancer metabolism.