Mara Sherman
@marasherman.bsky.social
Scientist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. “The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self.” - Fred Rogers
💥 Great fun writing this #review with @alejotorrescano.bsky.social – reflecting on the emergence of #pancreatic #lineages in the #embryo through the lens of #plasticity - Just out online ➡️ rdcu.be/fiw3c @wellcometrust.bsky.social @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social @kingslsm.bsky.social
Understanding development and cellular plasticity in the pancreas in health and disease
Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology - Pancreatic development is a dynamic process. This Review discusses the development and cellular plasticity that occurs in the pancreas in health...
rdcu.be
We are excited to share our new and third Review in Nature Reviews Cancer, “The sleeping threat: targeting cancer dormancy to transform metastasis therapy.” www.nature.com/articles/s41...
The sleeping threat: targeting cancer dormancy to transform metastasis therapy - Nature Reviews Cancer
This Review synthesizes emerging insights into how microenvironmental cues, epigenetic programmes and immune interactions govern disseminated cancer cell dormancy and outlines how advances in dormancy...
nature.com
We are seeking a highly motivated scientist with expertise in mouse embryo manipulation and the generation of genetically engineered mouse models. This is a permanent position with competitive compensation. Contact me via direct message if interested. Please share!
Today in @nature.com, we describe how discarded reads in biobank-scale WGS can help resolve the genetic predictors and consequences of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) infection. Wonderful working with @ryandhindsa.bsky.social @sherrynyeo.bsky.social @erinmayc.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Population-scale sequencing resolves determinants of persistent EBV DNA - Nature
Population-scale WGS reveals genetic determinants of persistent EBV DNA, linking immune regulation—especially antigen processing and MHC class II variation—to EBV persistence and heterogeneous di...
nature.com
We are very excited to share the first preprint of a new direction for our group. Led by the fearless duo of @arthurwchow.bsky.social and @hoyinchu.bsky.social, our foray into computational protein design—
bioRxiv Bioengineering@biorxiv-bioeng.bsky.social · 8mo agoSequence and structural determinants of efficacious de novo chimeric antigen receptors https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.694033v1
Heads up to any pancreatic cancer research that either had their R01 yanked or missed funding due to the newly restrictive paylines in 2025 (specifically anyone who scored 15%ile or below, but didn't get funding). media.pancan.org/rsa/2026/Pan...
media.pancan.org
Thrilled to share our new paper published in Cancer Research (@theaacr.bsky.social), led by outstanding work from Priyanka Gupta in our lab. Our study uncovers how stromal aging fundamentally reshapes pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) biology. aacrjournals.org/cancerres/ar...
The Aging Microenvironment is a Determinant of Immune Exclusion and Metastatic Fate in Pancreatic Cancer
Abstract. Aging is a critical yet understudied determinant in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) risk and outcomes. Despite a strong epidemiological association with age, conventional PDAC precli...
aacrjournals.org
Submit an abstract by October 1 for the AACR Special Conference on Cancer Evolution (December 4-6; Albuquerque), chaired by Mariam Jamal-Hanjani, Kenneth J. Pienta, and Mara H. Sherman and held in association with #AACRCEWG. buff.ly/meDBvm2 #AACRevol25 @marasherman.bsky.social
Our paper online now, CAF molecular phenotypes are more conserved than we thought across organs. Plus we now know more details about apCAFs. Please check it out 👉 Cancer Cell www.cell.com/cancer-cell/...
Single-cell resolution spatial analysis of antigen-presenting cancer-associated fibroblast niches
Chen et al. identify two distinct antigen-presenting cancer-associated fibroblast (apCAF) populations across multiple cancer types. Mesothelial-related apCAFs locate near cancer cells while fibrocyte-...
cell.com
Now accepting applications for our 2026 Cancer Biology & Cancer Engineering programs. Aspiring scientists & engineers will solve fundamental problems in biology & conduct research & develop technology that will help understand, diagnose & treat cancer. bit.ly/3WUiuo1
Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
The Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers the next generation of basic scientists a program to study the biological sciences through the lens of cancer
bit.ly
How can we reawaken the body’s own anti-viral defenses to fight brain cancer? Delighted to share our new study where we now answer this question, led by the brilliant @alvarezprado.bsky.social who is now an independent PI at LIH Luxembourg 👏👏 #BrainTIME 🧠🦠🧪 🧵 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Thrilled to share our first collaboration with @bemerling.bsky.social 🎉 Fantastic work by first author Dr. Gurpreet Arora showing how PI5P4Kα fuels pancreatic cancer cell fitness and reveals a new therapeutic vulnerability. www.cell.com/cell-reports...
PI5P4Kα promotes glucose and iron acquisition to support metabolic fitness in pancreatic cancer
PI5P4Kα is a critical metabolic gatekeeper in PDAC, promoting glucose and iron acquisition to support tumor survival. Arora et al. demonstrate that PI5P4Kα suppression disrupts the metabolic flexibili...
cell.com
My recent postdoctoral work is out today in @nature.com! We found that physical confinement makes melanoma cells more invasive and drug tolerant. Thanks to all who made this work possible @whitefishlab.bsky.social @mskcancercenter.bsky.social #NIH #NCI www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Mechanical confinement governs phenotypic plasticity in melanoma - Nature
Mechanical confinement of cancer cells at the tumour–microenvironment interface induces phenotype switching through chromatin remodelling by HMGB2, leading to a more invasive and drug-resistant state ...
nature.com
Mechanical confinement governs phenotypic plasticity in melanoma www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Mechanical confinement governs phenotypic plasticity in melanoma - Nature
Mechanical confinement of cancer cells at the tumour–microenvironment interface induces phenotype switching through chromatin remodelling by HMGB2, leading to a more invasive and drug-resistant state ...
nature.com
To distract from your own stress responses (!!!), check out this awesome new study from the Commisso lab linking metabolic stress to regulation of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment! ✨
Cosimo Commisso@cosimocommisso.bsky.social · last yr.Excited to share work published in @cp-cancercell.bsky.social by @yijuan.bsky.social showing that macropinocytosis inhibition drives myCAF-to-iCAF conversion, enhancing therapeutic responses in pancreatic cancer. Thank you to our collaborators that contributed! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.nature.com/articles/s41... NNMT inhibition in cancer-associated fibroblasts restores antitumour immunit
NNMT inhibition in cancer-associated fibroblasts restores antitumour immunity - Nature
An NNMT inhibitor reduces tumour burden and metastasis in multiple mouse cancer models and restores immune checkpoint blockade efficacy by decreasing cancer-associated-fibroblast-mediated recruitment ...
nature.com
Excited to share a new preprint from the lab with @ryandhindsa.bsky.social ! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... Led by @sherrynyeo.bsky.social, @erinmayc.bsky.social, and friends, we continue our journey to find viral DNA in our favorite place-- the overlooked and discarded reads in existing data! 1/
New paper: More than 2700 human 3′UTRs are highly conserved. These 3′UTRs are essential components in mRNA templates, as their deletion decreases protein activity without changing protein abundance. Highly conserved 3′UTRs help the folding of proteins with long IDRs. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
mRNA 3′UTRs chaperone intrinsically disordered regions to control protein activity
More than 2,700 human mRNA 3′UTRs have hundreds of highly conserved (HC) nucleotides, but their biological roles are unclear. Here, we show that mRNAs with HC 3′UTRs mostly encode proteins with long intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), including MYC, UTX, and JMJD3. These proteins are only fully active when translated from mRNA templates that include their 3′UTRs, raising the possibility of functional interactions between 3′UTRs and IDRs. Rather than affecting protein abundance or localization, we find that HC 3′UTRs control transcriptional or histone demethylase activity through co-translationally determined protein oligomerization states that are kinetically stable. 3′UTR-dependent changes in protein folding require mRNA-IDR interactions, suggesting that mRNAs act as IDR chaperones. These mRNAs are multivalent, a biophysical RNA feature that enables their translation in network-like condensates, which provide favorable folding environments for proteins with long IDRs. These data indicate that the coding sequence is insufficient for the biogenesis of biologically active conformations of IDR-containing proteins and that RNA can catalyze protein folding. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Pershing Square Foundation, https://ror.org/04tce9s05 G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation National Institutes of Health, DP1GM123454, R35GM144046 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, https://ror.org/02yrq0923, P30 CA008748
biorxiv.org
Alright! Took me way too long but I’m here and trying to re-engage. The world is burning but the #BAPlab is not! Up next! In two weeks our lab twins Garima Baral and Clair Pfeffer will defend their Ph.D.s 🔬I may burst from excitement or stress, one of the two. @cancer-inst-purdue.bsky.social
25 years ago, I came to Stanford on a J1 visa and worked so hard to be worthy of that privilege. Today, I lead Immunology at Mount Sinai and I am the one who feel privileged when brilliant international trainees chose to join us.
“America First” Will Destroy U.S. Science
The U.S. government has sought to restrict immigration under the “America First” doctrine. These policies severely harm American science by stripping it of talent and eliminating a major driver of its...
cell.com
Congratulations to the brilliant Boire and Pe’er labs plus all authors for this seminal study of the unique tumor immunology of the leptomeninges! ✨
@danapeer.bsky.social · last yr.I am pleased to share our recent publication, fruit of a wonderful collaboration with truly amazing colleagues @adrienneboire.bsky.social and @meningojan.bsky.social, whose work was a tour de force demonstrating that immunology in the brain is a different beast -> www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I am thrilled to share that the first preprint from my lab is now available on bioRxiV! In this study, our team elucidates the role of autocrine ligands in the aberrant behavior of oncogene-driven lung cancer. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
BRAFV600E-Driven Lung Tumorigenesis Requires Ligand-Mediated Activation of ERBB Receptor Signaling
Secretion of ligands of the human epidermal growth factor (EGFR) family of receptors or erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene family (ERBB1-4) is a feature common to many cancer cells. However, our u...
biorxiv.org
Registration is OPEN for the next edition of The Tumour Ecosystem! 🎉 Taking place next March in Bergamo, this conference will cover the latest advances in research of the tumour microenvironment. Learn more and register now: eacr.org/conference/t...
Check out this seminal study @theaacr.bsky.social by the one and only @marasherman.bsky.social aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscov... & the commentary about its importance to gain understanding on the inherent tumor-suppressive #PancreaticCancer #TME (by yours truly) aacrjournals.org/cancerdiscov...
Stromal KITL/SCF Maintains Pancreas Tissue Homeostasis and Restrains Tumor Progression
Normal pancreatic mesenchyme expresses stem cell factor (KITL), which is lost in the cancer-associated fibroblast state during tumorigenesis and restrains pancreatic inflammation, epithelial identity,...
aacrjournals.org
Last night, past Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Award winners gathered with this year’s recipients, @marasherman.bsky.social , @liron1bar-peled.bsky.social, Kai Kessenbrock, Ansu Satpathy, and Dan Wahl, to celebrate seven years of this transformational program. #MarkSymposium
This is very much fitting, and exciting, for my first Blusky post 🤩 Thrilled to share our new study on CAFs and NK cells, now online 🌟 in CD_AACR!! t.co/vmq8ZyQ3KV
1) I am delighted to share a manuscript long in the making (7 years), elucidating the forces that shape metastatic adaptation PDAC using scRNA-seq across multiple organs from a rapid autopsy combined with a powerful new clonal phylogeny inference algorithm www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Transcriptomic plasticity is a hallmark of metastatic pancreatic cancer
Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer deaths; nonetheless, how tumor cells adapt to vastly different organ contexts is largely unknown. To investigate this question, we generated a transcriptomic ...
biorxiv.org
