Dr. Peggi Angel's research is focused on understanding the spatial systems biology of human health – how molecular interactions change due to external, endogenous environmental and mechanical forces in normal development and in disease. The primary analytical research in her lab is focused on developing new approaches for deeper single cell sequencing of collagen structures, targeting signaling components of fibrotic deposition, and the application of these methods for human disease prognosis and diagnosis. The main biological research focus of her group is understanding how spatial changes in translational and post-translational collagen regulation contributes to breast cancer initiation and metastasis and impacts on cancer risk. She is the inventor of the spatial method targeting collagen on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. The approach generates data that may be used not only to understand stroma regulation within the tumor microenvironment and circulating serum. Collagen biosignatures also be used as a predictive tool developing signatures that differentiate pathologies, patient status, and therapeutic response. She has published several papers using this method in various cancerous tissues. Her lab is focused on leveraging this approach to understand disparities in breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma.
