University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus · Biology

Sikora Lab

Matthew J Sikora · Denver, Colorado

Research Focus

Dr. Matthew J. Sikora's lab focuses on understanding the biology behind certain types of cancers, specifically gynecologic cancers like ovarian cancer and specific breast cancer subtypes such as invasive lobular carcinoma. The lab investigates how genetic variations and molecular factors drive tumor growth, therapy resistance, and health disparities among different populations. Their research aims to reveal the underlying mechanisms of cancer progression and treatment responses, potentially leading to more effective therapies tailored to patient genetics.

WNT4cancer disparitiesinvasive lobular carcinomaestrogen receptormetabolic remodelinggenetic polymorphism

Research Aims

AIM 01Elucidate the role of the WNT4 regulatory axis in ovarian cancer therapy resistance.

AIM 02Investigate genetic factors that drive disparities in gynecologic cancer outcomes.

AIM 03Characterize the role of MDC1 in regulating estrogen receptor function in invasive lobular carcinoma.

AIM 04Define the interaction between MDC1 and estrogen receptor to identify novel therapeutic targets.

AIM 05Explore the metabolic remodeling driven by specific genetic polymorphisms in cancer cells.

Skills the Lab Values

CRISPR/Cas technologycell culturemouse modelstumorigenesis modelingglobal metabolomicsflow cytometryWestern blotRNA sequencingepigenomic analysisprotein array

Output against the department

Publications275top 21% of dept.220th of 1,033

this lab

most publishedleast published

Citations1.9kbottom 12% of dept.908th of 1,033

this lab

most citedleast cited

Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.