Erik Sahai

Erik Sahai discovered that CAFs physically lead collective cancer cell invasion by creating tracks through extracellular matrix using Rho-ROCK-dependent actomyosin contractility, with cancer cells following in the paths cleared by CAFs through heterotypic E-cadherin/N-cadherin junctions. His intravital imaging studies revealed real-time CAF-tumor cell cooperative invasion dynamics in living tumors, showing that CAF-led invasion is the predominant mode of cancer cell dissemination in pancreatic and breast cancers. He develops strategies targeting CAF-cancer cell physical interactions to prevent metastatic invasion without depleting the overall CAF population.