University of Central Florida, BS, Biological Sciences, 2007

Barry University, MS, Biomedical Sciences, 2009

Drexel University College of Medicine, PhD, Molecular and Cell Biology & Genetics, 2015

Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Postdoctoral Study, 2020

Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Instructor in Medicine, 2022

The Ferrer Laboratory investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive pancreatic cancer metastasis and therapeutic resistance. Using integrated approaches spanning molecular biology, cancer metabolism, immunology, organoid models, and genomics, we study how stress-adapted tumor cell states emerge, evade immune surveillance, and initiate metastatic outgrowth. Our goal is to identify mechanisms that can be therapeutically targeted to prevent metastatic progression and improve patient outcomes.

To find out more about our research:

http://www.ferrerlab.com

cancer metastasis, pancreatic cancer, metastasis-initiating cells, dissemination, pancreatic cancer metastasis

Delgado Herrera, D.C., Roman, A.A., Campbell, R.N., et al., and Ferrer, C.M. GSTT1 promotes stemness and FGFR inhibitor sensitivity in pancreatic cancer through regulation of CD133 (PROM1). Cancer Letters. 2026;658:218733.

Delgado Herrera, D.C., and Ferrer, C.M. KRAS on Empty: Lipid Oxidation Blockade Reveals a Metabolic Achilles' Heel in Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer Research. 2026;86(14):3374–3376.

Grant, G., and Ferrer, C.M. The role of the immune tumor microenvironment in shaping metastatic dissemination, dormancy, and outgrowth. Trends in Cell Biology. 2026;36(5):377–391.

*Ferrer, C.M., Cho, H., Boon, R., et al., and *Mostoslavsky, R. The glutathione S-transferase Gstt1 drives survival and dissemination in metastases. Nature Cell Biology. 2024. *Co-corresponding author.

Linder, S.J., Bernasocchi, T., Martinez-Pastor, B., et al. Inhibiting P5CS, a rate-limiting enzyme in proline metabolism, allows proliferation of glutamine-restricted cancer cells. Nature Metabolism. 2023;5(12):2131–2147.

Sebastián, C., Ferrer, C.M., Choi, J.E., et al. A quiescent intestinal stem cell as the cell-of-origin for the Warburg effect in intestinal cancer. Nature Communications. 2022;13:1503.

Choi, J., Sebastián, C., Ferrer, C.M., et al. Glycolytic tumor-propagating cells drive squamous cell carcinoma by enhancing antioxidant response capacity. Nature Metabolism. 2021;3(2):182–195.

Chang, A.R., Ferrer, C.M., and Mostoslavsky, R. SIRT6, a mammalian deacylase with multitasking abilities. Physiological Reviews. 2020;100(1):145–169.

Etchegaray, J.P., Zhong, L., Li, C., Ferrer, C.M., et al. The histone deacetylase SIRT6 controls transcription elongation via promoter-proximal pausing. Molecular Cell. 2019;75(4):683–699.

Ferrer, C.M., Alders, M., Postma, A.V., et al. An inactivating mutation in the histone deacetylase SIRT6 causes human perinatal lethality. Genes & Development. 2018;32(5–6):373–388. (Cover image featured in issue.)

Ferrer, C.M., Lu, T., Sinclair, D.A., and Reginato, M.J. O-GlcNAcylation regulates cancer cell invasion via the NAD+-dependent longevity protein SIRT1. Oncogene. 2016;36(4):559–569.

Ferrer, C.M., Lynch, T.P., Sodi, V., et al. Nutrient sensor O-GlcNAcylation regulates cancer metabolism and survival stress signaling via regulation of the HIF-1 pathway. Molecular Cell. 2014;54(5):820–831.

Awards & Honors

• NIH/NCI Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00), National Cancer Institute

• V Foundation for Cancer Research V Scholar (2024)

• AACR–Lustgarten Foundation Career Development Award (2023)

• Forbeck Scholar (2024)

• Laure Aurelian Cancer Research Award, University of Maryland School of Medicine (2024)

• American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (2024)

Professional Affiliations

• Member, University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC)

• Member, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

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