Charlotte Kuperwasser

Professor
Developmental, Molecular and Chemical Biology

(617) 636-3828

charlotte.kuperwasser@tufts.edu

150 Harrison Ave

Full Profile (facultyprofiles.tufts.edu)

Full Profile

Career Highlights / Publications Research Professional Activities Courses / Teaching Activities

Research/Areas of Interest

Our lab focuses on exploring molecular mechanisms, cellular interactions, and microenvironmental influences in breast development and cancer. We develop advanced organoid technologies for detailed studies of organogenesis and stromal interactions and investigate regulatory networks and epigenetic mechanisms affecting cell lineage and plasticity, particularly under the influence of transcription factors and BRCA1 mutations. Our research also delves into the breast microenvironment, examining how cellular and extracellular components, including fibroblasts and adipose stromal cells, contribute to cancer development through effects on collagen deposition, cytokine release, and lipid metabolism and hormones. This comprehensive approach offers new insights into breast tissue regeneration, cancer progression, and potential therapeutic targets.

Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, USA, 2000
Bachelor of Science, University of Massachusetts, USA, 1997

Biography

Dr. Charlotte Kuperwasser is the Director of the Tufts Laboratory for the Convergence of Biomedical, Physical, and Engineering Sciences. She is an Associate Professor Developmental, Molecular & Chemical Biology and an investigator at the Molecular Oncology Research Institute (MORI) at Tufts Medical Center. She is a national and internationally recognized expert in the fields of mammary gland biology and breast cancer.

Dr. Kuperwasser has made seminal and important contributions in the field of mammary gland development, breast cancer, stromal-epithelial cell biology, and stem cells. Dr. Kuperwasser received her PhD at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and was a Jane Coffin Child's Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Robert Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT. Dr. Kuperwasser has been a Howard Hughes Fellow, a Merck Fellow and received several awards including the COG/Aventis Young Investigator Award, and the Natalie V. Zucker Award.