Oregon Health & Science University · BiologyWong Metastasis Lab
Melissa H. Wong · Portland, Oregon
Research Focus
Dr. Melissa H. Wong's lab focuses on understanding how certain cancer cells spread from primary tumors to other parts of the body, which is a major challenge in treating cancer. They study a specific type of cancer cell, known as circulating hybrid cells, that may play a critical role in metastasis. Through advanced analyses and techniques, the lab aims to uncover the biological mechanisms that allow these cells to disseminate, which could lead to improved treatments for patients with colorectal cancer and other metastatic diseases.
circulating hybrid cellsmetastasiscolorectal cancertumor progressioncancer biologyphenotypic analysisneoplastic cellspatient care
Research Aims
5AIM 01Investigate the lifecycle of circulating hybrid cells in colorectal cancer.
AIM 02Identify key features that allow neoplastic cells to disseminate.
AIM 03Analyze protein expression and functional behaviors of hybrid cells in blood.
AIM 04Explore the relationship between early stage tumors and neoplastic cell shedding.
AIM 05Develop insights for improved treatment strategies in metastatic cancer.
Skills the Lab Values
cell cultureflow cytometryimmunofluorescenceprotein multi-omicsfunctional behavior analysiscomputational biologyfluorescence imagingzebrafish models
Output against the department
Publications170top 39% of dept.405th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations11ktop 35% of dept.357th 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.