Featured Publications
Premetastatic shifts of endogenous and exogenous mutational processes support consolidative therapy in EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinoma
Fisk JN, Mahal AR, Dornburg A, Gaffney SG, Aneja S, Contessa JN, Rimm D, Yu JB, Townsend JP. Premetastatic shifts of endogenous and exogenous mutational processes support consolidative therapy in EGFR-driven lung adenocarcinoma. Cancer Letters 2021, 526: 346-351. PMID: 34780851, PMCID: PMC8702484, DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2021.11.011.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMutational processesSingle ancestral lineageAncestral lineageProgression of cancerMetastatic lineagesPhylogenetic analysisGenetic resistanceEvolutionary processesExogenous mutational processesCancer evolutionConsolidative therapyMutational signature analysisEGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancerNon-small cell lung cancerKey eventsLineagesCell populationsTherapeutic resistanceLocal consolidative therapyClinical time courseCell lung cancerDisease etiologyTherapeutic decision makingCisplatin therapyLung cancerMolecular Biology and Evolution of Cancer: From Discovery to Action
Somarelli JA, Gardner H, Cannataro VL, Gunady EF, Boddy AM, Johnson NA, Fisk J, Gaffney SG, Chuang JH, Li S, Ciccarelli FD, Panchenko AR, Megquier K, Kumar S, Dornburg A, DeGregori J, Townsend JP. Molecular Biology and Evolution of Cancer: From Discovery to Action. Molecular Biology And Evolution 2019, 37: 320-326. PMID: 31642480, PMCID: PMC6993850, DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz242.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus StatementsConceptsEvolutionary processesMolecular evolutionary processesEvolution of cancerCancer cell populationsEcological nichesNew therapeutic modesCancer evolutionEcological theoryMolecular biologyCancer biologyCancer progressionSuite of conceptsCell populationsBiologyNicheEvolutionCirculatory systemDeeper understandingDiscoveryCancer
2018
Effect Sizes of Somatic Mutations in Cancer
Cannataro VL, Gaffney SG, Townsend JP. Effect Sizes of Somatic Mutations in Cancer. Journal Of The National Cancer Institute 2018, 110: 1171-1177. PMID: 30365005, PMCID: PMC6235682, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djy168.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSelection intensityRecurrent single nucleotide variantsCancer cell lineagesSomatic variantsSingle nucleotide variantsSequence surveysSomatic tissuesReproductive advantageCancer genomesDevelopment of cancerCell lineagesSelective advantageEvolutionary processesDriver genesNucleotide variantsCancer biologyGenetic alterationsSomatic mutationsCancer cellsRelative importanceCancer growthGenesMutationsCancer typesVariants
2016
Climatic and evolutionary drivers of phase shifts in the plague epidemics of colonial India
Lewnard JA, Townsend JP. Climatic and evolutionary drivers of phase shifts in the plague epidemics of colonial India. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2016, 113: 14601-14608. PMID: 27791071, PMCID: PMC5187705, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1604985113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPlague resistanceEnvironmental driversIntense natural selectionWild host populationsIntense selective pressureEvolutionary driversPossible evolutionary basisHost evolutionNatural selectionDisease resistanceEvolutionary selectionFlea population dynamicsEvolutionary basisSelective pressureEvolutionary processesPopulation dynamicsHost populationsWildlife hostsLocal persistencePlague dynamicsCommensal ratsDisease agentsPowerful insightsDisease transmissionEcologyEarly and multiple origins of metastatic lineages within primary tumors
Zhao ZM, Zhao B, Bai Y, Iamarino A, Gaffney SG, Schlessinger J, Lifton RP, Rimm DL, Townsend JP. Early and multiple origins of metastatic lineages within primary tumors. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2016, 113: 2140-2145. PMID: 26858460, PMCID: PMC4776530, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1525677113.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMetastatic lineagesGenetic changesEarly genetic divergenceMolecular evolutionary modelsSingle genetic changeDivergent lineagesTumor phylogeneticsDivergence timesAncestral stateGenetic divergenceCancer lineagesPhylogenetic analysisEvolutionary processesLineagesCancer evolutionMultiple originsDriver genesCancer biologyCancer progressionSomatic mutationsTumor developmentEvolutionary modelsDriver mutationsChronogramMutations