Diana Bhatt

Diana Bhatt investigates how Wnt signaling pathways regulate CAF activation and stromal reprogramming in colorectal and other cancers. Her research has characterized Wnt ligands secreted by tumor cells that activate adjacent fibroblasts to promote desmoplastic stroma formation. She studies transcriptional programs downstream of Wnt that drive pro-tumorigenic CAF phenotypes. Her work identifies potential therapeutic targets in the stroma-cancer communication circuit and is exploring small molecule inhibitors of Wnt-mediated stromal activation for cancer treatment.