Welcome to the Landau Lab

Defining human somatic evolution through advanced genomics technolgies

Uncovering the functional, temporal and spatial features of somatic cell evolution

The human somatic genome collectively represents the product of trillions of cell divisions over an individual’s lifespan. Thus, tissues are not homogenous, but rather contains a multitude of clones. Our research answers key mechanistic questions about somatic evolution, using genomics to provide a window into this next frontier of human genetics.

Latest News

Explore our exciting projects

  • Mapping genotypes to molecular phenotypes in single cells

    To chart how somatic mutations disrupt cellular processes (gene expression, mRNA splicing, epigenetic regulation) in human clonal outgrowths, we develop single-cell multiomics technologies to map genotypes to phenotypes directly in primary human samples.

    Read more

  • Plasma whole-genome sequencing for liquid biopsy

    We develop new ultra-low error whole-genome sequencing technologies combined with powerful machine-learning methods to analyze plasma cell-free DNA for liquid biopsy, in order to non-invasively and longitudinally monitor somatic evolution using blood tests. These innovative methods have enabled monitoring of minimal residual disease levels in patients and currently are part of clinical trials.

    Read more

  • Spatial profiling technologies to explore the tumor microenvironment

    We develop high-resolution spatial multi-omics methods to interrogate cell-extrinsic drivers of somatic evolution, allowing us to uncover the spatial determinants of macrophage heterogeneity in breast cancer. 

    Read more