The Oudin Lab is interested in dissecting the mechanisms of cancer metastasis and drug resistance. We focus on the role of the tumor microenvironment, specifically on the role of the extracellular matrix, in driving invasion and contributing to resistance to chemotherapy. We are also interested in dissecting the neuronal properties of tumors: both the nerves that innervate the the tumors and the neuronal properties that tumor cells take on as they grow.
The diagnosis of Dr. Oudin’s daughter with SCN8A encephalopathy has led to to a new research area in the lab, investigating how alternative splicing of sodium channels impacts neuronal function and the development of epilepsy. We aim to develop novel therapies for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as those caused by mutations in SCN8A.
Click here to donate and support SCN8A epilepsy research in the lab.
At first, it may seem like cancer and the developing brain have nothing to do with each other. However, when you dig a little deeper, it’s easy to see that these two biological processes have a lot in common.
Genes that regulate axon guidance in the developing brain have been found to regulate tumor cell migration and metastasis.
Alternatively spliced isoforms present in the brain are also found in tumors.
The bioelectrical properties of tumor cells can regulate their metastatic potential via ion channels that are known to regulate neuronal activity. The same ion channels are mutated in cancer and in epilepsy.
Tumors are associated with an increase in nerve density and nerves are present within breast tumors and contribute to invasion and metastasis.
We leverage our expertise in cancer and neuroscience to identify novel treatments for cancer metastasis and epilepsy.
The diagnosis of Dr. Oudin’s daughter with SCN8A encephalopathy has led to to a new research area in the lab, investigating how alternative splicing of sodium channels impacts neuronal function and the development of epilepsy. We aim to develop novel therapies for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as those caused by mutations in SCN8A.
Click here to donate and support SCN8A epilepsy research in the lab.
At first, it may seem like cancer and the developing brain have nothing to do with each other. However, when you dig a little deeper, it’s easy to see that these two biological processes have a lot in common.
Genes that regulate axon guidance in the developing brain have been found to regulate tumor cell migration and metastasis.
Alternatively spliced isoforms present in the brain are also found in tumors.
The bioelectrical properties of tumor cells can regulate their metastatic potential via ion channels that are known to regulate neuronal activity. The same ion channels are mutated in cancer and in epilepsy.
Tumors are associated with an increase in nerve density and nerves are present within breast tumors and contribute to invasion and metastasis.
We leverage our expertise in cancer and neuroscience to identify novel treatments for cancer metastasis and epilepsy.
Prof. Madeleine Oudin
Image by Sammy Kata.
LAB FUNDING
Click here to donate and support SCN8A epilepsy research in the Oudin lab.
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NEWSNovember 2024
We welcome 2 new GMCB students rotating in the Oudin lab: Mallory Caron and Megan Wong. The Oudin lab presents at the 4th Converging on Cancer Research at Tufts Symposium organized by Madeleine and Karl Munger. 
October 2024
Madeleine, and many of the faculty of the BME department, attended BMES in Baltimore. Madeleine co-chaired the Cancer Technologies Track with Erica Pratt from BU. 
New pre-print - a clinical study demonstrating the use of Cenobamate as an add-on treatment for SCN8A DEE, on MedRxiv. September 2024 The lab does its annual apple picking trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchards. 
Madeleine is appointed Tiampo Family Faculty Fellow.
Anna, Haley, Hanan and Crystal present at the Annual BME retreat. Congratulations to Haley for obtaining 2nd place poster award! 
August 2024
We welcome Dr. Ankit Pandey, new post-doc in the lab. Haley and Madeleine attends the Epilepsy GRC in New Hampshire. 
We say goodbye to our high schoolers from the TUBERS program who worked in the lab for 6 weeks under the supervision of Crystal Zhang. 
Madeleine co-organizes the first global SCN8A Research Roadmap at Tufts and MIT, bringing together key stakeholders in the SCN8A community to identify main gaps and research priorities. 
July 2024
Summer outing to Level 99 with the lab! 
The lab welcomes Audrey Pierce, new research associate in the lab.
Anna and Madeleine attend the GRC Signaling by Adhesion Receptors in NH. Madeleine is elected vice-chair for 2026! Paper accepted! Sydney's study on the temporal effects of obesity on the ECM of breast tissue and cancer progression is out at Cancer Research! Congratulations to Hanan who has been awarded an F30 grant from the NCI to support his work on the role of sensory nerve-breast tumor cell crosstalk in cancer progression. 
We welcome two high schoolers as part of our high school TUBERS summer program: Kaylee and Katelyn. June 2024 The lab welcomes Nadia Soulati, current PhD student at University of Glasgow in Prof. Delphine Gourdon's lab, who will be spending 3 months in the lab. Hanan, Crystal, Haley and Madeleine attend the GMCB Department Annual Retreat in Maine. Hanan and Crystal presented posters. Haley gave a talk and won the prize for best talk! 
May 2024
New grant!! The lab receives an R01 from NINDS with Prof. Chris Dulla and Prof. Chris Burge from MIT to target alternative splicing in sodium channels to treat pediatric encephalopathies. We welcome Lili Peng, current MSc student in BME, who will work on understanding the effects of chemotherapy on the ECM in breast cancer. The lab says goodbye to research technician Savannah after 2 fantastic years in the lab, as she goes off to do her PhD at Rutgers University. 
Happy graduation day to all the Oudin Lab members past and present who are celebrating this weekend: Dr. Sydney Conner, Hannah Borges (MSc in BME), Jeanne Duong (MSc in BME), Amreen Nareen (MSc in BME), Grace Hamilton, Giang Le, Jack Meehan and senior design team Hannah Kong, Cassidy Ho, Harrison Wilson, Isabel Hansman. We wish you all the best!!
Congratulations to Crystal Zhang for passing her qualification exam.
Congratulations to MSc student Jeanne Duong, co-advised by Prof. Valli Mallidi for defending her thesis titled ' Investigation of synergistic combinatory treatment of chemotherapy and photodynamic therapy on TNBC metastatic potential'. Congratulations to our senior design team, for presenting their Capstone project work. 
April 2024
Congratulations to Hannah Borges, who defended her Masters thesis. 
Anna and Madeleine write a Landmark Perspective in Cancer Research on the role of ECM stiffness in cancer progression. March 2024 Tufts Now writes an article on the Oudin lab's journey into epilepsy research. 
Congratulations to Crystal, who has received an award from the Scheeer-Tomasso Fund to cover her tuition.
Madeleine gives the keynote talk at SFARI Investigators Meeting at the Simons Foundation in NY entitled 'Harnessing my daughter's diagnosis to develop new treatments for neurodevelopment disorders' The lab's paper describing the invasive and metastatic potential of 6 commonly used TNBC cell lines is out in Breast Cancer Research. Madeleine attends the Cancer Neuroscience Meeting at MD Anderson in Houston, Texas and presents the lab's work on crosstalk between sensory nerves and tumor cells in breast cancer metastasis. February 2024 BME Undergrad Katie Lew, SEPA STEM fellow in the lab, is featured on Tufts Now! 
January 2024
Happy New Year! BME PhD student Tom Gerton officially joins the lab. Grant funded! The lab receives a new grant from the Mathers Foundation aimed at developing ASOs for SCN8A epilepsy, in collaboration with the Dulla lab. 
December 2023 Madeleine attends and presents at the Cute Syndrome Patient, Clinician and Family Gathering at the Annual American Epilepsy Society Meeting in Orlando. Happy holidays from the Oudin lab! We escaped the room! 
November 2023
The Oudin lab raises $650 for the SCN8A Alliance for Epilepsy Awareness Month. 
Undergraduate student Tolu Adewumi presents her research at the ABRCMS meeting in Phoenix Arizona.
New manuscript dissecting the role of exon 5 alternative splicing in Nav1.6 on BioRxiv.
October 2023 Madeleine chairs a session and presents at the Tissue, Matrix and Pathobiology Meeting hosted by ASMB and ASIP in Utah. 
Haley attends the Park City Epilepsy Meeting and presents her work on SCN8A.
We welcome a new senior design team: Harrison, Isabel, Hannah and Cassidy. 
September 2023
The lab goes apple picking at Honey Pot Hill Orchards. 
Haley represents the Oudin lab at the BME Department annual retreat.
Anna, Savannah, Hannah and Hanan attend the Cold Spring Harbor meeting on tumor microenvironment and metastasis.
Madeleine visits the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University.
August 2023 New pre-print describing age and obesity-driven changes in the ECM in the mammary gland and liver that may contribute to cancer progression. Congratulations to Dr. Sydney Conner, PhD #4 from the Oudin Lab for her fantastic thesis defense! She is now off to the NY Genome Institute to do a post-doc with Prof. Gamze Gürsoy. 
Lab outing: Oudin Lab goes kayaking on the Charles River.
July 2023
Madeleine speaks on the Epilepsy Sparks podcast with Torie Robinson about similarities between cancer and epilepsy. Listen here. 
Haley, Crystal and Hanan compete in the annual GSBS relays.
Congrats to Hanan, who received a prize for Best Poster at the annual MD-PhD retreat.
Grant awarded! The Oudin Lab, in collaboration with Prof. Chris Dulla at Tufts Neuroscience receives a seed grant from the American Epilepsy Society to characterize a new SCN8A epilepsy mouse model. 
June 2023
The Oudin Lab attends the BME Summer BBQ at Cochituate State Park. 
Congratulations to Hannah who passed her BME quals and was awarded and NCI Diversity Supplement to fund her for 3 years!
New pre-print! We are excited to share this new work characterizing the metastatic potential of human TNBC cell lines and showing that cell morphology is most predictive of metastatic potential in vivo.
May 2023 We welcome two new undergraduates to the lab, both BME rising juniors: Christian Merino and Katie Lew, a SEPA STEM fellow. Crystal Zhang, CMDB student, joins the Oudin lab for her PhD. Welcome Crystal!! Madeleine is promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure. We have a big celebration with many lab alumni to celebrate the lab's accomplishments. 
Kevin, Ariana and Maia win Best Senior Capstone project! Congratulations!!
Madeleine attends the Keystone Metastasis and Tumor microenvironment meeting and presents the lab's work on innervation and cancer. Senior design teams present their work from an entire year of work in the lab. 
April 2023
Congratulations to Justinne, who received a School of Engineering Outstanding Research Scholarship Award for all her research accomplishments throughout her PhD. 
We welcome new undergrad researcher Tolulepe Adewumi, who was named at 2023 Laidlaw Scholar, who will be working with PhD student Hanan on dissecting the role of nerves in cancer.
Senior Deepti presents her research at the AACR Annual Meeting. 
TERMIS-AM 2023 meeting in Boston: Madeleine co-chairs the meeting with Pam Yelick, Anna and Sydney participate in the SYIS events, and present their work.
March 2023
Lab dinner! 
Madeleine gives a seminar at UMass Amherst.
February 2023 The lab goes downtown to support Haley give her annual seminar and enjoyed some delicious hotpot! 
Madeleine visits UCLA BME department and shares the labs recent work on Engineering tumor-ECM interactions.
February 9th is SCN8A Awareness Day - the lab works together to create a video to explain SCN8A epilepsy to the public. Madeleine is a guest on the Once Upon a Gene Podcast to share her experience as a scientist and rare parent, and starting SCN8A research in the lab. 
January 2023
Madeleine presents the ASMB E-Symposium Make it or Break it: How ECM production and degradation fuels disease. Laidlaw Scholar and Tufts BME senior Deepti Srinivasan and Madeleine are interviewed for Tufts Now. 
Congratulations to Dr. Justinne Guarin, who defended her thesis! She will be staying with us a for a few more months as a post-doc. 
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