Isaac Brownell

Isaac Brownell leads the NCI Dermatology Branch laboratory studying the fundamental biology of Merkel cell carcinoma, including the role of MCPyV large T antigen in driving tumorigenesis and immune evasion. His group has characterized the normal Merkel cell lineage and demonstrated the requirement for ATOH1 in neuroendocrine differentiation, providing insight into MCC cell of origin. He has also studied the tumor microenvironment of virus-positive versus virus-negative MCC and is developing novel preclinical models for MCC drug testing.