James Bhatt

James Bhatt investigates how cancer-associated fibroblasts mediate resistance to chemotherapy and targeted therapy through paracrine signaling mechanisms. His laboratory has identified CAF-secreted factors that activate survival pathways in cancer cells in response to drug treatment, representing a form of acquired resistance driven by the stroma rather than cancer cell-intrinsic mechanisms. He develops combination strategies that simultaneously target CAF-mediated resistance pathways alongside primary therapy. His work contributes to understanding why many cancers fail to respond durably to otherwise effective drugs.