Janine Erler

Janine Erler discovered that tumor-secreted lysyl oxidase (LOX) crosslinks collagen at distant sites to prepare the pre-metastatic niche, providing the first mechanistic link between primary tumor ECM remodeling and metastatic site preparation. Her work showed that hypoxia-induced LOX secretion stiffens the ECM at future metastatic sites, recruits bone marrow-derived cells, and creates a permissive environment for arriving cancer cells. She demonstrated that LOX inhibition with BAPN or anti-LOX antibodies prevents metastatic colonization in multiple tumor models. Her discoveries have established LOX as a therapeutic target for preventing cancer metastasis.