The primary focus of the Snyder lab is to determine how cancer cells and their ecosystem adapt during the early occult phase of tumorigenesis to drive lethal, metastatic cancers. We utilize Cancer rainbow models (Crainbow) and hyperspectral imaging techniques for exploring tumor initiation with unprecedented resolution in space and time. We are highly interdisciplinary in our approach and utilize systems biology, spatial transcriptomics, and imaging to illuminate cell behavior during the malignancy cascade.

I am a junior investigator and tenure-track Associate
Professor in the Department of Surgery and hold secondary appointments in Cell Biology and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology. My Long-Term Research objective is to visualize how tumors initiate and progress to lethal metastases. We use in vivo modeling approaches for understanding the molecular networks underlying the initiation phase of tumorigenesis. My models have been used to visualize how the occult tumorigenic phase initiates well before diagnosis. Current work utilizes 3D-whole organ imaging approaches, scRNAseq, and spatial transcriptomics in order to elucidate the mechanisms of tumor cell competition and progression to metastasis. My lab is also developing novel hyperspectral imaging approaches for imaging tumor heterogeneity in True Color and in immune intact mice. I am also dedicated to the mentoring the next generation of scientist by providing in interdisciplinary training in developmental biology, genetic engineering, and cancer biology.