Rosenblatt lab

Epithelial Cell Extrusion Laboratory

Our lab studies the protective barrier of cells that lines each of our organs known as the epithelial layer.

The number of epithelial cells needs to remain relatively constant. If there are too few cells the barrier is at risk, but if there are too many it can lead to tumour formation. We found that mechanical forces control both processes: cell stretching triggers rapid cell division, whereas crowding causes cell death by a process we discovered called ‘epithelial extrusion,’ 

One area of our research looks at how disruptions in the epithelial extrusion process can lead to tumours and asthma. We also study how metabolism can impact tumour formation and progression and how we might limit these events through diet.

Other work in the lab looks at how epithelial extrusion eliminates virally-infected cells and how we might harness it to eliminate 'senescent' cells which no longer divide but can still contribute to aging and age-related diseases.