Valerie Weaver

Valerie Weaver demonstrated that CAF-mediated extracellular matrix stiffening through lysyl oxidase-dependent collagen crosslinking activates integrin-FAK-PI3K mechanotransduction signaling in cancer cells, promoting invasion, proliferation, and therapy resistance through mechanical rather than biochemical mechanisms. Her work showed that normalizing matrix stiffness through LOX inhibition or FAK blockade restores tumor sensitivity to chemotherapy and immunotherapy by improving drug delivery and immune cell infiltration. She pioneered the concept that the physical microenvironment created by CAFs is as therapeutically important as the biochemical signals they produce.