The Aghi Lab

What We Do

The Aghi lab investigates the tumor microenvironment of malignant brain tumors like glioblastoma or brain metastases and benign brain tumors like pituitary adenomas. We use techniques such as single cell sequencing, novel xenograft models, and collaborations with industry partners to investigate the role of the tumor microenvironment in the aggressive biology and therapeutic resistance of these tumors. Our research is generously supported by funding from the NIH and a number of private foundations and philanthropic sources.

Home: Overview

Areas of Research in the Aghi Lab

Just a few examples of areas of active study in the Aghi lab

Home: Research

c-Met/beta1 integrin complex in glioblastoma and metastases

We have identified a structural complex between c-Met and beta1 integrin that drives invasive resistance in glioblastoma and metastatic spread of cancer. Current work seeks to identify small molecule inhibitors blocking the formation of this complex.

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Glioblastoma

We have used single cell RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics to identify cancer-associated fibroblasts in the perivascular niche of glioblastoma. We also defined a role for GBM stem cells in attracting these cells, and numerous pro-humoral functions of these fibroblasts.

Neutrophils in Glioblastoma

We have defined pro-tumoral functions of neutrophils in glioblastoma, which we are working to inhibit in preclinical models.

3D Bioengineered Models to Study GBM Invasion

We have partnered with the Kumar lab in the UC Berkeley bioengineering department to use 3D tissue models for screening of druggable mediators of invasion and invasive resistance in glioblastoma.

Published Work

The Fruits of Our Labor

Jain S, Rick JW, Joshi RS, Beniwal A, Spatz J, Gill S, Chang A, Choudhary N, Nguyen AT, Sudhir S, Chalif E, Chen JS, Chandra A, Haddad AF, Wadhwa H, Shah SS, Choi S, Hayes J, Wang L, Yagnik G, Costello JF, Diaz A, Heiland DH, Aghi MK. Identification of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Glioblastoma and Defining Their Pro-tumoral Effects. Journal of Clinical Investigation, in press.

Safaee MM, Wang EJ, Jain S, Chen J-S, Gill S, Garcia JH, Beniwal AS, Nguyen AT, Maclean JM, Wycoff K, Aghi MK. CD97 is associated with mitogenic pathway activation and immune microenvironment changes in glioblastoma. Scientific Reports, in press.

Lau D, Wadhwa H, Sudhir S, Jain S, Chandra A, Nguyen A, Spatz J, Shah SS, Cheng J, Safaee M, Yagnik G, Jahangiri A, Aghi MK. Role of c-Met/ß1 integrin complex in the metastatic cascade in breast cancer. JCI Insight, in press.

Haddad AF, Chen JS, Oh T, Pereira MP, Joshi RS, Aghi MK. Higher cytolytic score correlates with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and reduced survival in glioblastoma. Scientific Reports 10: 17580. 2020.

Chandra A, Jahangiri A, Chen W, Nguyen AT, Yagnik G, Pereira MP, Jain S, Garcia JH, Shah SS, Wadhwa H, Joshi RS, Weiss J, Wolf KJ, Lin J-M G, Mueller S, Rick JW, Diaz AA, Gilbert LA, Kumar S, Aghi MK. Clonal ZEB1-driven mesenchymal transition promotes targetable oncologic anti-angiogenic therapy resistance. Cancer Research 80: 1498-1511. 2020.

Yagnik G, Rutkowski M, Shah S, Aghi MK. Stratifying nonfunctional pituitary adenomas into two groups distinguished by macrophage subtypes. Oncotarget 10: 4350, 2019.

Jahangiri A, Sidrov M, Han SW, Mascharak S, De Lay M, Wagner JR, Castro BA, Imber BS, Lu K, Bergers G, Weiss WA, Aghi MK. c-Met/β1 integrin: A cross-activating c-Met/β1 integrin complex drives metastasis and invasive resistance in cancer. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114: E8685-E8694. 2017.

Yagnik G, Jahangiri A, Chen R, Wagner JR, Aghi MK. Role of a p53 polymorphism in the development of nonfunctional pituitary adenomas. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 446: 81-90. 2017.

Kuang R, Jahangiri A, Mascharak S, Nguyen A, Chandra A, Flanigan PM, Yagnik G, Wagner JR, De Lay M, Carrera D, Castro BA, Hayes J, Sidorov M, Garcia J, Eriksson P, Ronen S, Phillips J, Molinaro A, Koliwad S, Aghi MK. GLUT3 upregulation promotes metabolic reprogramming associated with anti-angiogenic therapy resistance. JCI Insight 2:e88815. 2017.

Castro BA, Flanigan P, Jahangiri A, Kuang R, De Lay M, Chen W, Yagnik G, Mascharak S, Sidorov M, Wagner JR, Shrivastav S, Kohanbash G, Okada H, Aghi MK. Downregulation of macrophage migration inhibitory factor causes oncologic therapeutic resistance. Oncogene 36: 3749-3759. 2017.

Carbonell WS, De Lay M, Jahangiri A, Park C, Aghi MK. Targeting Beta1 Integrin Potentiates Bevacizumab Therapy and Inhibits Growth of Bevacizumab-Resistant Glioblastoma Multiforme. Cancer Research 73: 3145-3154. 2013. (image from article featured in full size on cover of Cancer Research)

Jahangiri A, Carbonell WS, De Lay M, Hu Y-L, Lu K, Paquette J, Tokuyasu TA, Tsao S, Chaumeil MM, Ronen SM, Bergers G, Aghi MK. Gene expression profile identifies mesenchymal tyrosine kinase c-Met as a targetable mediator of anti-angiogenic therapy resistance. Clinical Cancer Research 19: 1773-1783. 2013. (with a commentary by Joseph H. McCarty. Glioblastoma resistance to anti-VEGF therapy: has the challenge been MET?. Clinical Cancer Research 19: 1631-1633. 2013).

De Lay M, Jahangiri A, Carbonell WS, Hu Y-L, Tsao S, Tom MW, Paquette J, Tokuyasu TA, Aghi MK. Microarray analysis verifies two distinct phenotypes of glioblastomas resistant to anti-angiogenic therapy. Clinical Cancer Research 18: 2930-2942, 2012.

Hu YL, Jahangiri A, DeLay M, Aghi MK. Tumor cell autophagy as an adaptive response mediating resistance to treatments like anti-angiogenic therapy. Cancer Research 72: 4294-4299. 2012.

Home: Publications

People

Manish K. Aghi, MD PhD

Principal Investigator

Ankita Sati, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Mufeng Hu, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Jacob Young, MD

Postdoctoral Fellow