Speaker
Carla Kim, PhD
Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics
Harvard Medical School
Principal Investigator
Stem Cell Program
Boston Children’s Hospital
Dr. Carla F. Kim’s laboratory has pioneered the use of stem cell biology approaches for the study of adult lung progenitor cells and lung cancer.
Her work has contributed to a better understanding of stem cell biology in the lung, development of innovative approaches for examining the cellular and molecular basis of cancer and pulmonary disease, and identification of new therapeutic avenues for lung cancer.
The success that Dr. Kim’s lab has had investigating the molecular pathways that regulate lung stem cells and the role of stem cells in lung cancer is a testament to her potential to make new strides in understanding lung disease and basic biology. Working with genetically engineered mouse models that accurately represent human lung cancer, Dr. Kim’s group was the first to identify cancer stem cell populations in the two most frequent types of lung cancer in patients (Cell Stem Cell, 2010 and Cancer Cell, 2014). Her lab’s knowledge in lung stem cells has revealed a new combination therapy approach for particular subsets of lung cancer patients (Fillmore et al, Nature, 2015). Dr. Kim’s lab has developed a 3D lung organoid system that makes it possible to derive specialized lung cells from lung stem cells (Lee et al, Cell, 2014).