The Kannan Lab

Cancer treatment resistance is one of the biggest challenges in improving outcomes for patients. We want to understand why some treatments fail and how we can make them work better to help patients. Our lab specifically studies how tumors and their support cells change and adapt during treatment.

We use a combination of advanced techniques, including imaging, 3D cellular models, and computational modeling, to study how tumors stop responding to treatment. If you are a student, researcher, or collaborator passionate about solving this challenge in cancer research, we would love for you to work with us!"

Our mission

Like ecosystems in nature, tumors are dynamic systems where cells interact with their environment and compete for resources, enabling them to evade treatment. These interactions, particularly between tumor cells and blood vessels, can enable tumors to evade chemotherapy and radiation.

At the Kannan Lab, our mission is to understand how these interactions change during treatment and develop new therapies that prevent tumor resistance to treatment. We use a combination of interdisciplinary methods to study the dynamics of the tumor ecosystem.

Apart from our scientific mission, we strive to create a collaborative and supportive environment for learning and discovery. By fostering creativity and teamwork, we aim to train and inspire the next generation of scientists to tackle these complex challenges.