Shannon Mumenthaler, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California. She is also the Laboratory Director for the Ellison Institute of USC, which is a translational institute that bridges research and innovation by bringing together researchers, patients, and physicians dedicated to improving health of the human condition.  Dr. Mumenthaler’s research program is centered around the development and utilization of physiologically relevant, organ-dependent tumor models that allow for the characterization of colorectal cancer cellular dynamics, and serve as a platform for testing specific therapeutic modalities to prevent
or delay tumor progression. Specifically, she is integrating biologically-inspired 3D model systems (i.e., organoids and organs-on-chips) with dynamic imaging and computational approaches to provide new insights into the significance of the physical and cellular microenvironment on tumor progression.