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Amy Briggs
PhD Candidate, Cell Biology, Stem Cells, and Development Program
Hometown: | San Diego, California |
Education: | California State University, San Marcos Bachelor of Science, Biotechnology |
| Research: | While the current paradigm in cancer biology focuses on the importance of mutations in cancer initiation and progression, accumulating evidence suggests the contribution of a selective advantage for premalignant cells in a permissive microenvironment. Autophagy is an adaptive survival mechanism that degrades and recycles proteins or whole organelles to meet the bioenergetic and anabolic needs of the cell. This process has been seen to deteriorate as we age affecting tissue maintenance and homeostasis. Many studies have shown premature aging due to autophagy inhibition in different model organisms. Thus, we believe that there is a strong relationship between autophagy and oncogenesis through the decline of tissue maintenance and increase in positive selection of potentially harmful clones in the changing microenvironment. I hope to parse out the mechanism of the role autophagy is playing in this. Tools that I typically use to answer my questions are mouse models coupled with tissue culturing and molecular techniques. |
| Contact: | amy.briggs@cuanschutz.edu |
