Matthew D. Stachler, MD, PhD

The Stachler Lab works to understand the process of premalignant progression to invasive cancer. Specifically focusing on cancers (esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma) and pre-malignant conditions (columnar and intestinal metaplasia or Barrett’s esophagus) of the upper gastrointestinal tract as a model system. As a disease that is often closely monitored and sampled, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma provides an idea system to study the changes leading up to and driving invasive disease. Additionally, Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma are extremely important dieses to understand in their own as esophageal adenocarcinoma has one of the fastest rising incidences of any solid tumor and despite our understanding that it arises from a metaplastic field, we still do an extremely poor job of identifying patients early before advanced disease develops. We have taken the approach to first understand the factors important in human tissues through advanced ‘omics’ and digital imaging approaches and then use this understanding to build model systems and functional studies. It is our goal to use the knowledge and understanding gained in these studies to develop novel biomarkers, screening strategies, and treatments to identify and treat people early before advanced disease develops.

We are a highly collaborative lab and are always interested in hearing about how groups (both academic and non-academic) can bring together diverse technologies to better understand and treat human disease.