Kayla Gross
Tufts University Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences • Department of Developmental, Molecular, and Chemical Biology
The impact of aging on breast cell biology
Breast cancer risk increases with age, but scientists still do not understand the mechanism by which aging predisposes breast tissue to cancer development. Using a mouse model, I established that aging alters expression of genes that define breast cell identity, including transcriptional regulators of breast cell states. Correlating these aging-related differences to disrupted cell identity or cellular dysfunction in precancerous or cancerous breast tissue may reveal more relevant parameters for molecular targets for disease monitoring or intervention.