Merchant Lab
The Merchant Laboratory is studying how tumor cells interact with their microenvironment and how this interaction contributes to the development and maintenance of cancer. In particular, the Merchant Lab is interested in signaling pathways that confer resistance to chemotherapy or other stem-cell-like properties to cancer cells. Another area of interest is how immune cells are trafficked into the tumor space and how immune cells can be harnessed to treat cancer.
The Merchant Laboratory is affiliated with the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Institute, Regenerative Medicine Institute and Medicine Department.
Personal Statement
The goal of our lab is to enable high impact clinical research that is guided by leading-edge basic science. The central focus of our research is to understand how changes in the tumor immune microenvironment and stem cell niche regulate the development of cancer, cancer stem cells and normal hematopoietic tissues."
AKIL MERCHANT, MD
- Multiplex imaging of the tumor microenvironment
- Immune Monitoring
- Hedgehog signaling
- Bioinformatics
Collaborations
External
- Wendy Cozen, DO, MPH, Keck School of Medicine of USC
- Marta Epeldegui, PhD, UCLA AIDs Institute
- Kevin Kelly, MD, PhD, Keck School of Medicine of USC
- Kuhn Laboratory, USC Michelson Center
- Rong Lu Laboratory, USC
- Steidl Laboratory, BC Cancer Agency
- Imran Siddiqi, MD, PhD USC
- Yuri Fedoriw, MD UNC
- Ken Young, MD Duke
- Catalina Amador, MD UNMC
- Javeed Iqbal, PhD UNMC
- Sandra Orsulic, PhD UCLA
Meet Our Team
Learn more about the scientists, faculty members, investigators and other healthcare professionals of the Merchant Laboratory, whose dedicated efforts lead to groundbreaking discoveries.
Job Openings
The Merchant Laboratory has several open positions. To look for and apply to an open position with the Merchant Lab, click the link below.
DeAngelo DJ, Advani AS, Marks DI, Stelljes M, Liedtke M, Stock W, Gökbuget N, Jabbour E, Merchant A, Wang T, et al.
Blood Cancer J. 2020 Aug 7;10(8):81.
Cortes JE, Dombret H, Merchant A, Tauchi T, DiRienzo CG, Sleight B, Zhang X, Leip EP, Shaik N, Bell T, et al.
Future Oncol. 2019 Nov;15(31):3531-3545.
Cheng R, Billet S, Liu C, Haldar S, Choudhury D, Tripathi M, Hav M, Merchant A, Hu T, Huang H, et al.
Oncogene. 2020 Feb;39(7):1543-1556.
Aoki T, Chong LC, Takata K, Milne K, Hav M, Colombo A, Chavez EA, Nissen M, Wang X, Merchant A, et al.
Cancer Discov. 2020 Mar;10(3):406-421.
Contact the Merchant Lab
127 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Pavilion, A8700
Los Angeles, CA 90048