Samuel Mok
Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Gynecologic Oncology & Reproductive Medicine
My laboratory focuses on delineating the role of tumor microenvironment in ovarian cancer progression. Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecological cancer. One critically important yet often overlooked component to the tumor initiation and progression process is the contribution from the tumor stromal microenvironment. The stroma comprises the structural support for tissues, providing an interactive matrix for cells to grow and dynamically rearrange. Primarily composed of fibroblasts and extracellular matrix proteins (ECM) as well as some endothelial cells, immune cells, and adipocytes in the omentum, the microenvironment has been shown to play an important role in many biological processes from tissue development to proper organ function. The tumor microenvironment has been shown by previous studies to be drastically different from the normal microenvironment, possessing the ability to promote tumor initiation of normal epithelial cells and facilitate progression of malignant cells. Such characteristics identify the tumor microenvironment as an important factor in understanding the behavior of cancer and as such, may provide a new opportunity for intervention for diagnosis and treatment. My laboratory’s ongoing research projects involve the use of 3D spatially resolved multi-omics techniques including spatial transcriptomics (ST), imaging mass cytometry (IMC), imaging mass spectrometry (IMS), and multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) to identify spatially resolved and differentially expressed mRNAs, non-coding RNAs, microbiome, metabolites, lipids, and proteins in the stromal and epithelial components of primary and recurrent high-grade serous ovarian and endometrial tumor tissue samples, and to correlate expression profile data with immune cell profiles, and clinical outcomes including chemoresponse and survival. In addition, my laboratory has been focusing on the identification of altered stromal-epithelial crosstalk networks in cancer tissues, and functional studies of genes that may be of clinicopathological significance. Furthermore, the laboratory has also been characterizing cargos delivered by exosomes secreted by various cell types in the tumor microenvironment. These studies will generate biomarkers for the development of a pathway model for the genetic progression of ovarian and endometrial cancer, provide insights into their roles in ovarian and uterine cancer pathogenesis, and new therapeutic targets and agents for the treatment of both diseases.
Education & Training
Ph.D. - The Chinese University of Hong Kong - 1987