Research programme
Binary YAP cancer states
Central question
Can a binary YAP-on/YAP-off framework simplify cancer heterogeneity and expose vulnerabilities shared across otherwise different tumour types?
Cancer is heterogeneous at every scale, yet the Bremner laboratory identified a striking organising rule: solid tumours can be separated into YAP-on and YAP-off classes defined by whether YAP is expressed and acts in a pro- or anti-cancer direction. YAP-off cancers are frequently neural or neuroendocrine and often lose RB1, whereas YAP-on cancers retain a distinct adhesive and transcriptional programme.
The laboratory is now studying the mechanisms that establish these states, the vulnerabilities associated with each class, and the lineage switches that allow tumours to move between them during therapy. The long-term objective is to use state-aware biomarkers and combinations to block class switching and improve treatment durability.