Collisson Research Interests

I am a medical oncologist with an interest in genomics and precision medicine. My scholarly activities are divided between clinical and laboratory investigations focused on better treatments for patients with the most deadly cancers. 

In the clinic, I focus on pancreatic cancer. Since pancreatic cancer is a almost always caused by mutations in the KRAS gene, we have and continue to spend a considerable amount of time on finding therapies for KRAS driven cancers. Currently funded projects in the clinic look at cutting edge technologies to better characterize patients’ tumors. 

My lab focuses on cellular and animal models of pancreatic and lung adenocarcinomas. This multi-pronged funding approach allows both short term and longer-term projects. Short term goals are defining how to optimize treatments directed against MET, LIF, MEK and autophagy.  Long term projects are building and using animal models with intact immune systems and functional tumor microenvironment.