Cancer Biology & Genetics Program
The Mara Sherman Lab
Research
![Mara Sherman](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262411/main_image/sherman-mara-230201-01_rt_1200x1200.jpg?h=cd2a7045)
Associate Professor
The Mara Sherman lab aims to understand the heterocellular interactions among pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to target these networks for therapeutic benefit. Our research focuses on the tumor-permissive molecular mechanisms underlying cancer-associated fibroblast function as well as immune suppression, and how these stromal mechanisms affect cell fate and function in the pancreatic epithelium with respect to gene expression, metabolism, and cancer cell state. Our laboratory uses a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the mechanistic underpinnings of the pancreatic tumor microenvironment, including mouse models of pancreatic cancer, three-dimensional cell culture systems such as patient-derived organoids, and diverse molecular- and cell-biological techniques enabling investigation of the mechanisms underlying tumor-stroma interaction.
Research Projects
Featured News
![Dr. Mara Sherman in her lab, with two trainees working in the background](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200/public/node/304721/main_image/dr.mara-sherman-lab-240605-085-rt_1200x800.jpg)
Publications Highlights
Abrego J.*, Sanford-Crane H.*, Oon C., Xiao X., Betts C.B., Sun D., Nagarajan S., Bhattacharyya S., Xia Z., Coussens L.M., Tontonoz P., Sherman M.H. (2022). A cancer cell-intrinsic GOT2-PPAR axis suppresses antitumor immunity. Cancer Discovery. 12(10):2414-2433. (*Co-first author)
Helms E.J., Berry M.W., Chaw R.C., DuFort C.C., Sun D., Onate M.K., Oon C., Bhattacharyya S., Sanford-Crane H., Horton W., Finan J.M., Sattler A., Makar R., Dawson D.W., Xia Z., Hingorani S.R., Sherman M.H. (2022). Mesenchymal lineage heterogeneity underlies non-redundant functions of pancreatic cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cancer Discovery. 12(2):484-501.
People
![Mara Sherman](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262411/main_image/sherman-mara-230201-01_rt_1200x1200.jpg?h=cd2a7045)
Mara Sherman, PhD
Associate Professor
- The Mara Sherman lab aims to understand the heterocellular interactions among pancreatic cancer cells and their surrounding microenvironment, and to target these networks for therapeutic benefit.
- PhD, University of California, Los Angeles
- [email protected]
- Email Address
Members
![Frank Arnold](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262446/main_image/arnold-frank-230511-04_rt_1200x800.jpg?h=10d202d3)
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262451/main_image/del-vecchio-annachiara-230511-05_rt_1200x800.jpg)
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/304301/main_image/hernandez_3x2-1.jpg)
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/288426/main_image/photo-zainabh_reduced2-2-copy_0.jpeg)
![Chet Oon](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262456/main_image/oon-chet-230511-02_rt_1200x800.jpg?h=10d202d3)
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/304716/main_image/sneha-pramod-picture-sherman-lab.jpeg)
![Frank Arnold](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262446/main_image/arnold-frank-230511-04_rt_1200x800.jpg?h=10d202d3)
Postdoctoral Fellow
Staff Scientist
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262451/main_image/del-vecchio-annachiara-230511-05_rt_1200x800.jpg)
Postdoctoral Fellow
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/304301/main_image/hernandez_3x2-1.jpg)
Senior Administrative Assistant
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/288426/main_image/photo-zainabh_reduced2-2-copy_0.jpeg)
Research Fellow
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/277626/main_image/low-vivien-230511-09_rt_1200x800-32.jpg)
Research Lab Manager
Graduate Student
![Chet Oon](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262456/main_image/oon-chet-230511-02_rt_1200x800.jpg?h=10d202d3)
Research Assistant
![](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/304716/main_image/sneha-pramod-picture-sherman-lab.jpeg)
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Lab Alumni
![Casey Robinson](https://www.sloankettering.edu/sites/default/files/styles/width_200_1x1/public/node/262831/main_image/casey_1200x800.jpg?h=10d202d3)
Administrative Assistant
Lab Affiliations
Achievements
- Lustgarten Foundation Therapeutics Focused Research Program awardee (2021)
- Pew-Stewart Scholar Award (2020)
- American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant (2018)
- V Foundation V Scholar Award (2017)
- NIH/NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award (2015)
Open Positions
To learn more about available postdoctoral opportunities, please visit our Career Center
To learn more about compensation and benefits for postdoctoral researchers at MSK, please visit Resources for Postdocs
Open Positions
Get in Touch
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Lab Head Email
Disclosures
Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.
MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.
Mara Sherman discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
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Autobahn Labs, Inc.
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.
This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.
Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].