Camila dos Santos
Associate Professor
Cancer Center Member
Ph.D., Universidade Estadual de Campinas - Brazil, 2007
dossanto@cshl.edu | 516-367-8869
Among the changes that occur during pregnancy, those affecting the breasts have been found to subsequently modify breast cancer risk. My laboratory investigates how the signals present during pregnancy permanently alter the way gene expression is controlled and how these changes affect normal and malignant mammary development.
Camila dos Santos’ laboratory studies the epigenetic regulation of normal and malignant mammary gland development, with an emphasis on the alterations brought by pregnancy. Significant changes mark the pre- and post-pubescence mammary developmental stages, but those associated with pregnancy have the greatest effect on cellular function, tissue reorganization, and breast cancer susceptibility. Her group has recently found that mammary glands react differently to a second pregnancy than they do to the first one, with associated changes in DNA methylation. These findings suggested that pregnancy changes the state of mammary cells, and these may permanently alter how they react to the next pregnancy. In addition, the dos Santos lab is exploring how the pregnancy-induced epigenetic changes might influence cell transformation and the risk of breast cancer. This research utilizes genomic and computational approaches to define the pre and post-pregnancy mammary epigenome. An additional objective of the dos Santos’ laboratory is to use functional genomics to discover novel transcriptional regulators that modulate mammary stem cell self-renewal, lineage specification, and cell transformation. The long-term objective of Camila’s group is to improve the notion of the mammary epigenome during normal development and use this information to gain insight into new preventive and curative strategies to target breast cancer.
Pershing Square Sohn prize to Camila dos Santos
Rita Allen Foundation Scholar
The V Foundation: V Scholar Award
In breast cancer, the best defense is a strong offense
December 7, 2021
CSHL cancer researchers revealed how the immune system prepares to combat breast cells that may turn cancerous after a pregnancy.
CSHL organoid facility: Cancer custodians
July 2, 2021
To beat our worst enemy, we must first let it grow.
Cataloging breast cells to find cancer origins
May 14, 2021
CSHL scientists created a profile of normal breast tissue to pinpoint which cells might start down the path to cancer.
LIVE at the Lab with Camila dos Santos: Breast Cancer Research
December 21, 2020
Assistant Professor Camila dos Santos describes how her lab uses organoid models to study how pregnancy permanently alters gene expression.
LIVE At the Lab: Pregnancy and breast cancer
December 21, 2020
CSHL Assistant Professor Camila dos Santos discusses the biology of how pregnancy reduces breast cancer risk.
One experiment: Organoids as living laboratories
October 30, 2020
These tiny balls of cells are revolutionizing the research and treatment of pancreas and other types of cancers.
Pregnancy reprograms breast cells, reducing cancer risk
May 27, 2020
CSHL researchers discovered that pregnancy reprograms breast cells, reducing the risk of breast cancer in women under 25.
A home like no other, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
November 7, 2019
Hear why our campus, our community, and our collaborative nature makes us a place that so many scientists call "home."
Understanding pregnancy’s effects on breast cancer risk
August 13, 2019
CSHL researchers authored a review in the journal Cell covering the landscape of breast cancer research.
Discussing breast cancer with Camila dos Santos—A Cocktails and Chromosomes talk
July 17, 2019
Women who have their 1st child before age 25 are less likely to develop breast cancer later in life. Why? Dr dos Santos discusses finding the answer.
All Publications
Parity-induced changes to mammary epithelial cells control NKT cell expansion and mammary oncogenesis.
7 Dec 2021 | Cell Reports | 37(10):110099
Hanasoge Somasundara, Amritha, Moss, Matthew, Feigman, Mary, Chen, Chen, Cyrill, Samantha, Ciccone, Michael, Trousdell, Marygrace, Vollbrecht, Macy, Li, Siran, Kendall, Jude, Beyaz, Semir, Wilkinson, John, Dos Santos, Camila
Engineered asparaginase from Erwinia chrysanthemi enhances asparagine hydrolase activity and diminishes enzyme immunoreactivity - a new promise to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia
8 Oct 2021 | Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology
Costa, Iris, Moura, Debora, Lima, Guilherme, Pessoa, Adalberto, dos Santos, Camila, de Oliveira, Marcos, Monteiro, Gisele
New Design Rules for Developing Potent Cell-Active Inhibitors of the Nucleosome Remodeling Factor (NURF) via BPTF Bromodomain Inhibition.
13 Sep 2021 | Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
Zahid, Huda, Buchholz, Caroline, Singh, Manjulata, Ciccone, Michael, Chan, Alice, Nithianantham, Stanley, Shi, Ke, Aihara, Hideki, Fischer, Marcus, Schönbrunn, Ernst, Dos Santos, Camila, Landry, Joseph, Pomerantz, William
PELP1/SRC-3-dependent regulation of metabolic PFKFB kinases drives therapy resistant ER+ breast cancer.
8 Jun 2021 | Oncogene
Truong, Thu, Benner, Elizabeth, Hagen, Kyla, Temiz, Nuri, Kerkvliet, Carlos, Wang, Ying, Cortes-Sanchez, Emilio, Yang, Chieh-Hsiang, Trousdell, Marygrace, Pengo, Thomas, Guillen, Katrin, Welm, Bryan, Dos Santos, Camila, Telang, Sucheta, Lange, Carol, Ostrander, Julie
Characterization of Gene Expression Signatures for the Identification of Cellular Heterogeneity in the Developing Mammary Gland.
14 May 2021 | Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia
Henry, Samantha, Trousdell, Marygrace, Cyrill, Samantha, Zhao, Yixin, Feigman, Mary, Bouhuis, Julia, Aylard, Dominik, Siepel, Adam, Dos Santos, Camila
Characterization of Organoid Cultures to Study the Effects of Pregnancy Hormones on the Epigenome and Transcriptional Output of Mammary Epithelial Cells
1 Nov 2020 | Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia | 25(4):351-366
Ciccone, M, Trousdell, M, Dos Santos, C
The molecular basis of mammary gland development and epithelial differentiation
17 Oct 2020 | Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Slepicka, P, Somasundara, A, Dos Santos, C
Cancer cell CCR2 orchestrates suppression of the adaptive immune response.
5 Oct 2020 | Journal of Experimental Medicine | 217(10)
Fein, Miriam, He, Xue-Yan, Almeida, Ana, Bružas, Emilis, Pommier, Arnaud, Yan, Ran, Eberhardt, Anaïs, Fearon, Douglas, Van Aelst, Linda, Wilkinson, John, Dos Santos, Camila, Egeblad, Mikala
Diverse Macrophage Populations Contribute to the Inflammatory Microenvironment in Premalignant Lesions During Localized Invasion.
2020 | Frontiers in Oncology | 10:569985
Ibrahim, Ayman, Moss, Matthew, Gray, Zane, Rojo, Michelle, Burke, Caitlin, Schwertfeger, Kathryn, Dos Santos, Camila, Machado, Heather
Pregnancy Reprograms the Epigenome of Mammary Epithelial Cells and Blocks the Development of Premalignant Lesions
27 May 2020 | Nature Communications | 11(1):2649
Feigman, M, Moss, M, Chen, C, Cyrill, S, Cicone, M, Trousdell, M, Yang, S-T, Frey, W, Wilkinson, J, Dos Santos, C