معرفی
Laura Machesky is the Sir William Dunn Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge's Department of Biochemistry. Her research focuses on cell migration, actin dynamics, and cancer metastasis, particularly how cancer cells adapt to environmental stresses like extracellular matrix stiffness and metabolic challenges. She leads a lab investigating mechanoresponsive metabolic adaptations in pancreatic cancer and the interplay between cytoskeletal dynamics and nutrient uptake.
Her work combines bioengineering to model in vivo conditions with molecular biology to uncover mechanisms driving metastasis. Key research areas include actin cytoskeleton regulation, metabolic reprogramming in tumors, and cellular decision-making between migration and nutrient acquisition via macropinocytosis.
- Awards: Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE), Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
- Key Projects: Mechanoresponsive metabolism in cancer, cytoskeleton-metabolism crosstalk, 3D tumor microenvironment models
Publications from her group have advanced understanding of CYRI proteins' roles in migration suppression, Rac1 signaling, and metabolic pathways fueling metastasis. Collaborations span bioengineering and clinical oncology to translate mechanistic insights into therapeutic strategies.
