Vanderbilt University · BiologyColorectal Cancer Mapping Unit
Ken S Lau · Nashville, Tennessee
Research Focus
Dr. Ken S. Lau's lab at Vanderbilt University focuses on understanding colorectal cancer (CRC) through innovative 3D mapping techniques. They work to explore how age affects the development of CRC, particularly looking into why more young people are being diagnosed. The lab combines advanced imaging and molecular analysis to create a comprehensive atlas that visualizes the progression of tumors from early-stage precancerous conditions to cancer. Their goal is to uncover crucial biological differences between CRC cases that arise at different ages to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes.
colorectal cancer3D mappingmolecular atlasearly-onset CRCtumor progressionspatial transcriptomicsmicrobiomemulti-omicsimmunofluorescence microscopywhole exome sequencing
Research Aims
5AIM 01Construct a 3D multimodal atlas of colorectal cancer across different ages.
AIM 02Characterize molecular and structural features of CRC during its progression.
AIM 03Investigate the differences between early-onset and later-onset colorectal cancer.
AIM 04Utilize advanced imaging technologies to enhance our understanding of tumor biology.
AIM 05Make data available for open-access to benefit the research community.
Skills the Lab Values
spatial transcriptomicsimmunofluorescence microscopymass spectrometryhistological imagingRNA sequencingbiostatisticsmachine learningdata visualizationtissue sectioninggenomic profiling
Output against the department
Publications291top 20% of dept.203rd of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations8.1ktop 47% of dept.481st 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.