Kamila Naxerova

Kamila Naxerova has used phylogenetic analysis of somatic mutations to trace the clonal relationships between primary tumors and their metastases, demonstrating that lymph node and distant metastases in colorectal cancer often arise from independent subclones within the primary tumor rather than through sequential dissemination. Her research at Harvard Medical School has challenged the linear model of metastatic progression and revealed the complex polyclonal seeding patterns that characterize metastatic spread. Her work has important implications for understanding how therapy shapes the evolutionary dynamics of metastatic disease.