About Our Lab

The Drapkin laboratory focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of the genetic, molecular and physiological factors that drive the development of cancer, with a special focus on gynecologic malignancies.

Research from the Drapkin laboratory was fundamental to the discovery that the majority of high-grade serous carcinomas actually begin in the fallopian tubes.  This new concept of ovarian tumorigenesis has been a paradigm shift in the field and the Drapkin lab has been at the forefront in developing novel experimental platforms that address the role of the FT epithelium and its susceptibility to neoplastic transformation. These platforms include genetically engineered mouse (GEM) models, fallopian tube-derived cell lines, and patient-derived tumor xenografts.  We integrate insights from genomic, epigenetic, single cell transcriptomic and geospatial proteomic studies into our model systems to define novel vulnerabilities that can be exploited therapeutically or leveraged for early detection, prevention, and interception.