Frederick Campbell

My work seeks a mechanistic basis for cancer morphology, one of the best established predictors of clinical outcome. To do this, I investigate mechanisms of epithelial assembly into mature glandular architecture in model systems. With others, I defined the role of the apical PTEN/CDC42/PRKCZ pathway in mitotic spindle orientation, epithelial alignment and lumen formation during colonic gland (crypt) assembly. I investigated oncogenic destabilization of these phenomena. I indentified mechanisms underlying cribriform morphology, a histological marker of malignant transformation in human, for the first time. I identified therapeutic targets, conduct translational studies and a cancer clinical trial. I have identified mechanistic links between 2 cancer hallmarks that were previously considered distinct viz genomic instability and cancer morphology.