Cancer Biology & Genetics Program
The Tuomas Tammela Lab
Research
Associate Professor
The Tammela lab is interested in understanding the remarkable phenotypic heterogeneity of cancer cells within tumors. We approach this question using a combination of sophisticated genetically engineered mouse models, single-cell approaches, tracing and ablation of distinct tumor cell lineages, CRISPR-mediated gene regulation, and advanced imaging techniques. We utilize the exceptional resources developed by our MSK collaborators, such as organoids and xenografts, for the translation of our findings into new treatments for human cancer. Our goal is to discover pathways that drive distinct cellular phenotypes and to develop new therapeutic concepts aimed at reducing cellular heterogeneity in tumors.
Research Projects
Featured News
Publications Highlights
Singhal A, Styers HC, Rub J, Li Z, Torborg SR, Kim J, Grbovic-Huezo O, Feng H, Tarcan ZC, Sahin Ozkan H, Hallin J, Basturk O, Yaeger R, Christensen JG, Betel D, Yan Y, Chio IIC, de Stanchina E, Tammela T. A classical epithelial state drives acute resistance to KRAS inhibition in pancreas cancer. Cancer Discovery (2024). DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-24-0740
Zhuang X, Wang Q, Joost S, Ferrena A, Humphreys DT, Li Z, Blum M, Bastl K, Ding S, Landais Y, Zhan Y, Zhao Y, Chaligne R, Lee J, Carrasco SE, Bhanot UK, Koche RP, Bott MJ, Katajisto P, Soto-Feliciano YM, Pisanic T, Thomas T, Zheng D, Wong ES, Tammela T. Aging limits stemness and tumorigenesis in the lung by reprogramming iron homeostasis. bioRxiv [Preprint] 2024.06.23.600305; DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.23.600305
Li Z, Zhuang X, Pan CH, Yan Y, Thummalapalli R, Hallin J, Torborg SR, Singhal A, Chang JC, Manchado E, Dow LE, Yaeger R, Christensen JG, Lowe S, Rudin CM, Joost S, Tammela T. Alveolar differentiation drives resistance to KRAS inhibition in lung adenocarcinoma. Cancer Discovery, 14(2):308–325 (2024). [PMID: 37931288] DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-0289
Torborg SR, Grbovic-Huezo O, Singhal A, Holm M, Wu K, Han X, Ho Y, Haglund C, Mitchell MJ, Lowe SW, Dow LE, Pitter KL, Sanchez-Rivera FJ, Levchenko A, Tammela T. Solid tumor growth depends on an intricate equilibrium of malignant cell states. bioRxiv [Preprint] 2023.12.30.573100; DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.30.573100
Marjanovic ND, Hofree M, Chan JE, Canner D, Wu K, Trakala M, Hartmann GG, Smith OC, Kim JY, Evans KV, Hudson A, Ashenberg O, Porter CBM, Bejnood A, Subramanian A, Pitter K, Yan Y, Delorey T, Phillips DR, Shah N, Chaudhary O, Tsankov A, Hollmann T, Rekhtman N, Massion PP, Poirier JT, Mazutis L, Li R, Lee JH, Amon A, Rudin CM, Jacks T, Regev A, Tammela T. Emergence of a high-plasticity cell state during lung cancer evolution. Cancer Cell, 38(2):229-246 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.06.012
People
Tuomas Tammela, MD, PhD
Associate Member, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, MSKCC
Associate Professor
- Cancer biologist Tuomas Tammela investigates cellular heterogeneity in lung and pancreatic cancers.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Postdoctoral Fellowship
- University of Helsinki, Finland: MD, PhD
- 646-888-2048
- Office Phone
Members
- 646-888-3857
- Lab Phone
Lab Alumni
Lab Affiliations
- Cancer Biology & Genetics Program
- Fiona and Stanley Druckenmiller Center for Lung Cancer Research
- Center for Stem Cell Biology
- David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research
- PhD Programs in Computational Biology & Medicine
- MD/PhD Program
- Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Achievements
- Josie Robertson Investigator (2017-2022)
- The Mark Foundation Emerging Leader Award (2021)
- Rita Allen Foundation Scholar (2020)
- National Cancer Institute R37 MERIT Award (2020)
- American Cancer Society Scholar (2020)
Read more
- V Foundation Scholar (2019)
Lab News & Events
Upcoming event
Nutritional Regulation of Tissue Regeneration, Cancer and Immunity
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Rockefeller Research Laboratories
430 East 67th Street
Room RRL-116
New York, NY 10065
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
Career Opportunities
Get in Touch
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Office Phone
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Lab Phone
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.
Tuomas Tammela discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
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Lime Therapeutics, Inc.
Equity; Professional Services and Activities
The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and 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].