Debora Barbosa Vendramini Costa, PhD

Biographical Statement

Dr. Débora Barbosa Vendramini Costa is a cancer biologist, with a Ph.D. in Cellular and Structural Biology from the University of Campinas, Brazil. She developed her postdoctoral training at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, in tumor immunology, then at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, in cancer biology and tumor microenvironment, with focus in the biology of cancer-associated fibroblasts.

In January of 2023, Débora, together with her husband Dr. Ralph Francescone, joined the Pancreatic Cancer team at Henry Ford, opening the Vendramini-Francescone Lab. Their lab is dedicated in dissecting how the complex tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer is established and evolves, supporting pancreatic tumor progression. It is their goal to uncover targets that can normalized this complex microenvironment, in order to promote the effect of therapies. Finaly, their lab is also focused on finding biomarkers for the early detection of this dismal disease. Dr. Barbosa Vendramini Costa is the responsible PI of grants from the Department of Defense and the National Cancer Institute.

Titles

• Assistant Scientist, Henry Ford Health/Department of Surgery, HF Cancer Institute
• Associate Professor - research, Michigan State University/Department of Physiology, CHM

Research Interests

The Vendramini-Francescone Lab is focused on understanding the tumor microenvironment, the collection of cancerous and non-cancerous cell types and their secreted material, and how they interact at the cellular and molecular levels within a particular tumor. One cancer that has an extremely pronounced microenvironmental reaction is pancreatic cancer, which is among the deadliest cancers. The pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment is characterized by an intense stromal fibrotic reaction, known as desmoplasia, where there is an activation and expansion of wound healing cells known as fibroblasts, and a large deposition of extracellular matrix and secreted factors. "Islands" of tumor cells reside within this "sea" of activated stroma, which is known to promote tumorigenesis by shielding tumor cells from therapies, inactivating the anti-tumor immune system, and providing nutrients to cancer cells. "R&D lab" is specifically interested in how fibroblasts and their extracellular matrix suppress NK and T-cell responses to tumors, and promote pro-tumoral myeloid cell functions, an evolving area of study. Main projects in the lab focus on how synaptic proteins and signaling pathways regulate pro-tumor functions in CAFs in pancreatic cancer, as well as how CAF derived metabolic products modulate their immunosuppressive capacity. The lab strongly believes that by modulating their pro-tumor functions, fibroblasts can be reverted to a less activated and anti-tumor phenotype, improving therapeutic outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients.

The lab utilizes a number of methods to tackle the complex biology behind fibroblasts and the pancreatic cancer tumor microenvironment: 1.) 3D multicellular culturing system, 2.) CRISPR/CRISPRi based methods to modulate protein expression, 3.) immune cell functional assays, 4.) single cell and spatial technologies 5.) advanced imaging 6.) genetic and orthotopic mouse models of pancreatic cancer, 7.) patient derived tissue, cells, and interstitial fluid for translational projects. These integrated in vitro, in vivo, and translational approaches allow the team to probe basic biology questions in pancreatic cancer, with the hope of translating these novel findings to the clinic in the future.

Awards and Honors

• (2025 - 2030) NCI/NIH R01 Principal Investigator. Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress in the function of cancer associated fibroblasts in pancreatic cancer
• (2023 - 2026) PCARP-IDA – Department of Defense (DOD), Pancreatic Cancer Research Program, Idea Development Award. Principal Investigator. Netrin G1 Ligand: A New Immunomodulatory Target and Early Biomarker in Pancreatic Cancer.