Charlotte Kuperwasser
Research/Areas of Interest
Dr. Kuperwasser's research focuses on the cellular, molecular, developmental, and environmental mechanisms that regulate breast cancer risk, initiation, progression, and prevention. Her laboratory studies how breast epithelial cells, stem and progenitor cell states, stromal signals, extracellular matrix cues, immune pathways, and systemic factors interact to shape mammary gland development and tumor susceptibility.
The Kuperwasser laboratory develops and applies innovative human model systems, including humanized mouse models, three-dimensional organoids, and engineered tissue platforms, to study mammary morphogenesis, epithelial–stromal interactions, breast stem cell differentiation, tumor initiation, and the earliest changes that precede cancer. Current work is increasingly focused on how environmental exposures, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, alter breast tissue development, epigenetic regulation, immune signaling, and cancer susceptibility.
The long-term goal of this research is to identify early biological events that contribute to breast cancer risk and to develop new strategies for prevention, early detection, and risk reduction before malignant disease emerges.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, USA, 2000
- Bachelor of Science, University of Massachusetts, USA, 1997
Biography
Dr. Kuperwasser earned her B.S. in Biochemistry, magna cum laude, and her Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She completed postdoctoral training as a Jane Coffin Childs Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Robert Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT. Her research has helped define how epithelial–stromal interactions, stem and progenitor cell states, extracellular matrix cues, and systemic factors shape normal breast development, tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis.
Her laboratory develops innovative human model systems, including humanized and organoid-based approaches, to study mammary morphogenesis, breast stem cell differentiation, tumor initiation, environmental exposures, and early biological events that contribute to cancer risk. Her current work integrates developmental biology, cancer biology, translational modeling, environmental health, and prevention-focused research to identify the earliest changes that precede breast cancer and inform strategies for prevention.
Dr. Kuperwasser has received numerous honors, including the Howard Hughes Fellowship, Jane Coffin Childs Fellowship, Merck Fellowship, Natalie V. Zucker Award, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Scholar Award, ECOG/Aventis Young Investigator Award, and sustained support from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. She has served on national and international advisory, review, editorial, and committee roles, including NIH/NCI study sections, American Cancer Society and Department of Defense breast cancer review panels, AACR committees, international cancer research review panels, and the ACIP COVID-19 Working Group. She has authored more than 100 scientific publications and holds multiple patents related to human breast cancer models, tumor biology, and diagnostic technologies.