Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory

Our laboratory focuses on the use of high-throughput genomics and functional genomics to identify drivers of rare gynecologic cancer types, and to define the clinical and biological significance of intra-tumor phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity in these tumors. Dr. Weigelt’s laboratory is devising strategies to overcome the challenges posed by intra-tumor genetic heterogeneity, based on state-of-the-art sequencing analyses of circulating cell free (cf)DNA and of single cells. By bringing together traditional pathological techniques with genetic analyses and functional studies, the Weigelt lab seeks to refine the classification of gynecologic cancers and identify novel drivers and potential therapeutic targets of specific tumor types. In addition, Dr. Weigelt is investigating if cfDNA analysis (so-called “liquid biopsies”) can accurately monitor the disease course of women with endometrial or cervical cancer, and if resistance mechanisms to platinum salts or PARP inhibitors in ovarian cancer patients can be identified in cfDNA.

As the Director of the Gynecology DMT Research Laboratory, Dr. Weigelt and her team collaborate with and facilitate research endeavors led by members of the Gynecology Disease Management Team (DMT). Benefiting from the extensive tissue collections, the state-of-the art facilities and the innovative biology-driven clinical trials run at Memorial Sloan Kettering, our multidisciplinary team, including surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, and molecular biologists, works together on many fronts, including the development of immunotherapy approaches for gynecologic cancers, strategies for the molecular classification of endometrial cancers, and the analysis of the evolution and progression of gynecologic cancers.