Research Funding

  • September 1, 2020 - August 31, 2027 - Tissue mechanics reprograms the tissue to malignancy and metastasis , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R35CA242447
  • September 16, 2021 - August 31, 2026 - A physical sciences approach to investigate the role of exosomes in metastatic progression , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA250044
  • March 1, 2019 - February 29, 2024 - Targeting the Cancer Glycocalyx , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA227942
  • February 1, 2019 - January 31, 2024 - Reorienting the Glioblastoma Microenvironment to Respond to Immunotherapy , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01NS109911
  • February 9, 2018 - January 31, 2023 - Tissue Tension, RANK and Breast Cancer Risk , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA222508
  • September 22, 2015 - August 31, 2021 - ECM geometrical and mechanical properties modulate RTK signaling , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA202241
  • April 1, 2015 - March 31, 2021 - Tension-Stat3-miR-mediated metastasis , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA192914
  • July 15, 2016 - April 30, 2020 - Inside-Out Approaches to Improve Wound Repair by HoxB3 , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21AR069495
  • May 5, 2014 - February 29, 2020 - A biophysical stromal basis for radiation sensitivity in ductal carcinoma in situ , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA174929
  • May 2, 2014 - April 30, 2018 - Advanced Methods to Evaluate Extracellular Matrix and Crosslinking in the Tumor M , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R33CA183685
  • May 20, 2000 - February 28, 2017 - TGF-beta Suppression and Promotion of Mammary Carcinomas , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA085492
  • September 26, 2011 - July 31, 2016 - Biophysical and molecular dialogue of glioma cells and the brain microenvironment , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U54CA163155
  • May 1, 2015 - April 30, 2016 - 2015 Fibronectin, Integrins & Related Molecules Gordon Research Conference & Gordon Research Seminar , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R13AR068188
  • May 7, 2010 - February 29, 2016 - Collagen remodeling and tumor progression , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA138818
  • September 30, 2010 - August 31, 2015 - Role of Fibroblasts, Myeloid Cells and Matrix in PDAC , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA151925
  • September 29, 2009 - July 31, 2015 - Fundamental Mechanobiology of Tumor Progression , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U54CA143836
  • February 6, 2013 - January 31, 2014 - 2013 Fibronectin, Integrins & Related Molecules GRC/GRS , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R13CA174204
  • July 1, 2000 - June 30, 2010 - NFkB, tissue polarity and apoptosis resistance , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA078731

Education

  • University of Waterloo, Canada, B.Sc., 1985, Chemistry/Biochemistry
  • University of Ottawa, Canada, B.Sc. Honors, 1986, Biochemistry (Summa Cum Laude)
  • University of Ottawa, Canada, Ph.D., 1992, Biochemistry
  • Apoptosis Research Group, NRC, Ottawa, Canada, 1992-1994, Postdoctoral Fellow
  • Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 1994-1998, Postdoctoral Fellow

Honors & Awards

  • 1986
    University of Ottawa Gold Medal Highest Academic Standing Science
  • 1986
    Society of Chemical Industry Prize
  • 1986
    Alumni & Faculty Plaque Biochemistry
  • 1987
    Mary Eccelstone Research Award Wyeth Canadian Society of Nutrition Sciences
  • 1988
    American Institute of Nutrition Research Award Proctor & Gamble Graduate student award
  • 1996
    Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Achievement Award
  • 2000-01
    ACS-New Investigator Pilot Project Award, UPenn Cancer Center Grant
  • 2001-05
    DOD Career Development Award
  • 2002
    International Society of Differentiation Young Investigator Travel Award
  • 2003
    ASCB Co-Chair Mini Symposium ECM & Cancer
  • 2004
    AACR Co-Chair Major Symposium Reversibility of Tumors
  • 2004
    Co-Organizer HOX and Mammary Gland Workshop
  • 2004-10
    DOD Scholar Award
  • 2005
    Chair Engineering Cell Biology Symposium Model Systems for Complex Behaviors
  • 2006
    Co-Chair AACR Educational Session Organotypic Cancer Models
  • 2007
    Co-organizer, Conference on Engineering and Cell Biology
  • 2007
    Co-organizer TUMIC conference
  • 2007
    Chair and speaker AACR Cancer Therapy Symposium on Tumor Microenvironment
  • 2008
    Plenary Speaker Huntsman Cancer Retreat
  • 2009
    Co-Organizer Institute for Regenerative Medicine Retreat
  • 2010
    Speaker at The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Tumor Microenvironment Network (TMEN) (2010), Speaker at Joint Metastasis Research Society - AACR Conference
  • 2010
    ASCB Co-Chair Mini Symp 50th Anniversary Meeting

Selected Publications

  1. Finger AM, Hendley AM, Figueroa D, Gonzalez H, Weaver VM. Tissue mechanics in tumor heterogeneity and aggression. Trends Cancer. 2025 Apr 29.  View on PubMed
  2. Ticha P, Northey JJ, Kersten K, Velozo HG, Ironside AJ, Zidek M, Drain A, Lakins JN, Chen YY, Tsai KK, Weaver VM. NCOR2 represses MHC class I molecule expression to drive metastatic progression of breast cancer. bioRxiv. 2025 Mar 12.  View on PubMed
  3. Fiore A, Yu G, Northey JJ, Patel R, Ravenscroft TA, Ikegami R, Kolkman W, Kumar P, Dilan TL, Ruetten VMS, Ahrens MB, Shroff H, Wang S, Weaver VM, Pedram K. Live imaging of the extracellular matrix with a glycan-binding fluorophore. Nat Methods. 2025 May; 22(5):1070-1080.  View on PubMed
  4. Nakagawa R, Beardsley A, Durney S, Hayward MK, Subramanyam V, Meyer NP, Wismer H, Goodarzi H, Weaver VM, Van de Mark D, Goga A. Tumor Cell Spatial Organization Directs EGFR/RAS/RAF Pathway Primary Therapy Resistance through YAP Signaling. bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 31.  View on PubMed
  5. Kai F, Leidal AM, Weaver VM. Tension-induced organelle stress: an emerging target in fibrosis. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2025 Feb; 46(2):117-131.  View on PubMed
  6. Narain R, Muncie-Vasic JM, Weaver VM. Forcing the code: tension modulates signaling to drive morphogenesis and malignancy. Genes Dev. 2025 Jan 07; 39(1-2):163-181.  View on PubMed
  7. Uroz M, Stoddard AE, Sutherland BP, Courbot O, Oria R, Li L, Ravasio CR, Ngo MT, Yang J, Tefft JB, Eyckmans J, Han X, Elosegui-Artola A, Weaver VM, Chen CS. Differential stiffness between brain vasculature and parenchyma promotes metastatic infiltration through vessel co-option. Nat Cell Biol. 2024 Dec; 26(12):2144-2153.  View on PubMed
  8. Hendley AM, Ashe S, Urano A, Ng M, Phu TA, Peng XL, Luan C, Finger AM, Jang GH, Kerper NR, Berrios DI, Jin D, Lee J, Riahi IR, Gbenedio OM, Chung C, Roose JP, Yeh JJ, Gallinger S, Biankin AV, O'Kane GM, Ntranos V, Chang DK, Dawson DW, Kim GE, Weaver VM, Raffai RL, Hebrok M. nSMase2-mediated exosome secretion shapes the tumor microenvironment to immunologically support pancreatic cancer. bioRxiv. 2024 Sep 25.  View on PubMed
  9. Tharp KM, Kersten K, Maller O, Timblin GA, Stashko C, Canale FP, Menjivar RE, Hayward MK, Berestjuk I, Ten Hoeve J, Samad B, Ironside AJ, di Magliano MP, Muir A, Geiger R, Combes AJ, Weaver VM. Tumor-associated macrophages restrict CD8+ T cell function through collagen deposition and metabolic reprogramming of the breast cancer microenvironment. Nat Cancer. 2024 Jul; 5(7):1045-1062.  View on PubMed
  10. Huycke TR, Häkkinen TJ, Miyazaki H, Srivastava V, Barruet E, McGinnis CS, Kalantari A, Cornwall-Scoones J, Vaka D, Zhu Q, Jo H, Oria R, Weaver VM, DeGrado WF, Thomson M, Garikipati K, Boffelli D, Klein OD, Gartner ZJ. Patterning and folding of intestinal villi by active mesenchymal dewetting. Cell. 2024 Jun 06; 187(12):3072-3089.e20.  View on PubMed
  11. Fiore A, Yu G, Northey JJ, Patel R, Ravenscroft TA, Ikegami R, Kolkman W, Kumar P, Grimm JB, Dilan TL, Ruetten VMS, Ahrens MB, Shroff H, Lavis LD, Wang S, Weaver VM, Pedram K. Imaging the extracellular matrix in live tissues and organisms with a glycan-binding fluorophore. bioRxiv. 2024 May 10.  View on PubMed
  12. Goyette MA, Stevens LE, DePinho CR, Seehawer M, Nishida J, Li Z, Wilde CM, Li R, Qiu X, Pyke AL, Zhao S, Lim K, Tender GS, Northey JJ, Riley NM, Long HW, Bertozzi CR, Weaver VM, Polyak K. Cancer-stromal cell interactions in breast cancer brain metastases induce glycocalyx-mediated resistance to HER2-targeting therapies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 May 14; 121(20):e2322688121.  View on PubMed
  13. Parihar K, Ko SB, Bradley RP, Taylor P, Ramakrishnan N, Baumgart T, Guo W, Weaver VM, Janmey PA, Radhakrishnan R. Asymmetric crowders and membrane morphology at the nexus of intracellular trafficking and oncology. Mechanobiol Med. 2024 Sep; 2(3).  View on PubMed
  14. Parihar K, Ko SH, Bradley R, Taylor P, Ramakrishnan N, Baumgart T, Guo W, Weaver VM, Janmey PA, Radhakrishnan R. Free energy calculations for membrane morphological transformations and insights to physical biology and oncology. Methods Enzymol. 2024; 701:359-386.  View on PubMed
  15. Darula Z, McCabe MC, Barrett A, Schmitt LR, Maslanka MD, Saviola AJ, Orgel J, Burlingame A, Staab-Weijnitz CA, Stenmark K, Weaver V, Chalkley RJ, Hansen KC. Assessing Heterogeneity in the N-Telopeptides of Type I Collagen by Mass Spectrometry. bioRxiv. 2024 Mar 31.  View on PubMed
  16. Samuel MS, Lopez JI, McGhee EJ, Croft DR, Strachan D, Timpson P, Munro J, Schröder E, Zhou J, Brunton VG, Barker N, Clevers H, Sansom OJ, Anderson KI, Weaver VM, Olson MF. Actomyosin-Mediated Cellular Tension Drives Increased Tissue Stiffness and β-Catenin Activation to Induce Epidermal Hyperplasia and Tumor Growth. Cancer Cell. 2024 Feb 12; 42(2):317.  View on PubMed
  17. Northey JJ, Hayward MK, Yui Y, Stashko C, Kai F, Mouw JK, Thakar D, Lakins JN, Ironside AJ, Samson S, Mukhtar RA, Hwang ES, Weaver VM. Mechanosensitive hormone signaling promotes mammary progenitor expansion and breast cancer risk. Cell Stem Cell. 2024 01 04; 31(1):106-126.e13.  View on PubMed
  18. Tharp KM, Park S, Timblin GA, Richards AL, Berg JA, Twells NM, Riley NM, Peltan EL, Shon DJ, Stevenson E, Tsui K, Palomba F, Lefebvre AEYT, Soens RW, Ayad NME, Hoeve-Scott JT, Healy K, Digman M, Dillin A, Bertozzi CR, Swaney DL, Mahal LK, Cantor JR, Paszek MJ, Weaver VM. The microenvironment dictates glycocalyx construction and immune surveillance. Res Sq. 2023 Aug 16.  View on PubMed
  19. Pedram K, Shon DJ, Tender GS, Mantuano NR, Northey JJ, Metcalf KJ, Wisnovsky SP, Riley NM, Forcina GC, Malaker SA, Kuo A, George BM, Miller CL, Casey KM, Vilches-Moure JG, Ferracane MJ, Weaver VM, Läubli H, Bertozzi CR. Design of a mucin-selective protease for targeted degradation of cancer-associated mucins. Nat Biotechnol. 2024 Apr; 42(4):597-607.  View on PubMed
  20. Ayad NME, Lakins JN, Ghagre A, Ehrlicher AJ, Weaver VM. Tissue tension permits β-catenin phosphorylation to drive mesoderm specification in human embryonic stem cells. bioRxiv. 2023 Jul 15.  View on PubMed

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