Yolonda Colson M.D, Ph.D
Principal InvestigatorOur Mission
Locoregional recurrence negatively effects a person’s quality of life as well as their long-term survival. For patients with an isolated, resectable local recurrence, surgery is the only potential remedial option. Unfortunately, for patients who have already underwent complete resection and are facing locally recurrent disease, current oncologic treatment remains inferior. There is a need for additional therapeutic options for patients with recurrence.
To combat recurrence, the Colson Laboratory is investigating new and emerging treatment modalities, such as polymer films and nanoparticles. These treatments have been identified as potential solutions for both prevention and treatment of locally recurrent cancers. The lab’s researchers expanded to using patient-derived xenograft models to test various chemotherapy drugs, antibody conjugates and polymer films to personalize cancer treatment and prevent recurrence.
The Colson Laboratory research team, led by Yolonda Colson, M.D Ph.D , in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, facilitates collaborations within thoracic surgery, immunology, and engineering to improve the care of patients with cancer. Cross-disciplinary collaboration and synergy are central to the laboratory.
The lab’s research interests are focused predominantly on surgical innovation and surgical oncology, with NIH funding to study several novel approaches to cancer therapy with prior expertise in transplantation immunology and immune recognition.