1. Environment-Dependent Clonal Selection and Cancer Evolution

We investigate how environmental factors, such as chronic inflammation and metabolic dysfunction, influence the selective expansion of mutant clones, malignant progression, and metastasis.

Using our Sleeping Beauty (SB) transposon-based in vivo mutagenesis platform and CRISPR-based screens, we systematically identify candidate cancer-associated genes that confer selective advantages under specific environmental conditions. By combining genetically engineered organoids, mouse models, single-cell transcriptomics, and spatial analysis, we aim to uncover the mechanisms underlying environment-dependent clonal selection and clonal evolution during metastasis, and to identify novel therapeutic targets.