Research Interests
Dr. Chao is a physician scientist with a clinical focus in treating patients with lung cancer. While lymph node involvement is clinically important for the treatment of patients with cancer, little is known about how cancer spreads from lymph nodes. Dr. Chao's research focuses on understanding mechanisms of lymphatic metastasis. The lab studies how cancer survives and grows in lymph nodes and then subsequently metastasizes to colonize distant sites. We utilize novel immune competent mouse models of lung and breast cancer in combination with bioinformatics and bioengineering approaches to both study the lymph node microenvironment and the molecular changes within cancer cells that enable metastasis via the lymphatic route.
Selected Publications
- Chao YL, Zhu Y, Wiedner HJ, Tsai YH, Wilkinson L, Porrello A, Van Swearingen AED, Carey L, Holley CL, Pecot CV (2020). Snord67 promotes lymph node metastasis through U6-mediated alternative splicing in breast cancer. bioRxiv doi:10.1101/2020/08.28.272617
- Chao YL*, Leslie PL*, Tsai YH, Ghosh SK, Porrello A, Van Swearingen A, Harrison EB, Cooley BC, Parker JS, Carey L, and Pecot CV (2019). Histone deacetylase 11 inhibition promotes breast cancer metastasis from lymph nodes. Nat Commun. Sep 13;10(1):4192.
- Porrello A, Leslie PL, Harrison EB, Gorentla BK, Kattula S, Ghosh SK, Azam SH, Holtzhausen A, Chao YL, Hayward MC, Waugh TA, Bae S, Godfrey V, Randell SH, Oderup C, Makowski L, Weiss J, Wilkerson MD, Hayes DN, Earp HS, Baldwin AS, Wolberg AS, Pecot CV (2018). Factor XIIIA-expressing inflammatory monocytes promote lung squamous cancer through fibrin cross-linking. Nat Commun. May 18;9(1):1988.
- Chao Y, Wu Q, Acquafondata M, Dhir R, and Wells A (2012). Partial Mesenchymal to Epithelial Reverting Transition in Breast and Prostate Cancer. Cancer Microenviron. Apr;5(1):19-28.
- Chao Y*, Wu Q*, Shepard C, and Wells A (2012). Hepatocyte induced re-expression of E-cadherin in breast and prostate cancer cells increases survival and chemoresistance. Clin Exp Metastasis. Jan;29(1):39-50.
- Wells A, Chao Y, Grahovac J, Wu Q, Lauffenburger DA (2011). Epithelial and mesenchymal phenotypic switchings modulate cell motility in metastasis. Front Biosci. Jan 1; 16:815-37.
- Chao Y*, Shepard CR*, Wells A (2010). Breast carcinoma cells re-express E-cadherin during mesenchymal to epithelial reverting transition. Mol Cancer. Jul;9(1):179.