Dr. Kornelia Polyak

Biography

Kornelia Polyak is a Professor in Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a prominent figure in breast cancer research. Her primary research interests focus on understanding the differences between normal and cancerous breast tissue to improve clinical management of breast cancer patients. She aims to accurately predict breast cancer risk, identify drivers of tumor evolution, particularly metastatic progression and therapeutic resistance, and explore novel therapeutic targets for 'bad' cancers like triple-negative and inflammatory breast cancers. Polyak's innovative studies analyze samples from breast cancer patients and utilize experimental models to translate findings into clinical care. She emphasizes the intratumor clonal heterogeneity that complicates cancer treatment, highlighting how diverse tumor characteristics can affect patient responses to therapy. Additionally, her work in breast cancer risk prevention has identified key determinants such as reproductive history and mammographic density, providing insights into potential preventive measures. By analyzing the cellular differences in breast tissues among high-risk groups, Polyak proposes using progenitor markers for breast cancer risk prediction and developing novel treatments aimed at reducing breast cancer incidence.

Research Interests

Experience