Spatial ecology of breast cancer reveals co-evolution of proliferative and dormant niches
Journal articleGenome Medicine
Cenk Celik
Research Fellow at University College London
I study why cancer cells stop dividing, how they stay dormant, and what tips them back towards growth — work that matters because that switch underlies treatment resistance and relapse in solid tumours.
I joined the Secrier Lab at the UCL Genetics Institute in June 2023 as a Research Fellow. My work looks at tumour cell plasticity in breast, brain and liver metastases and how these cells interact with the tumour microenvironment, using single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. At its core is a question about cell cycle arrest: what governs the switch between quiescent and proliferative states, and how that switch is organised in space within a tumour. Alongside this, I build computational methods for spatial transcriptomics to help characterise that organisation.
Beyond the lab, I volunteer with Bilimler Köyü (Village of Sciences), teaching biological data analysis to young women from underrepresented regions of Turkey as part of its mission to bring STEMM research within reach of more young minds. I’m also an EACR Ambassador, helping connect early-career cancer researchers with training and networking opportunities.
Transparency, research integrity and collaboration guide how I work.
