Sabrina Leigh Spencer

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I recently completed my PhD in Computational And Systems Biology at MIT in Peter Sorger's lab.   Our lab moved from MIT to Harvard's Department of Systems Biology in December 2006. 

Publications from PhD work:

·  Spencer SL, Gaudet, S, Albeck JG, Burke JM, Sorger PK.  Non-genetic origins of cell-to-cell variability in TRAIL-induced apoptosis.  Nature,  2009 May 21; 459(7245):428-32.   Epub 2009 Apr 12. 

·  Albeck JG, Burke JM, Spencer SL, Lauffenburger DA, Sorger PK.  Modeling a Snap-Action, Variable-Delay Switch Controlling Extrinsic Cell Death.  PLoS  Biology,  2008 Dec 2; 6(12):2831-52.

Publications prior to or unrelated to PhD work:

· Pepper JW, Findlay CS, Kassen R, Spencer SL, Maley CC.  Cancer research meets evolutionary biology. Evolutionary Applications,  2009 Jan 27; 2(1): 62-70

· Spencer SL, Gerety RA, Pienta KJ, Forrest S. Modeling Somatic Evolution in Tumorigenesis. PLoS Computational Biology,  2006 Aug 18; 2(8):e108.

· Spencer SL, Berryman MJ, García JA, Abbott D.  An Ordinary Differential Equation Model for the Multistep Progression to Cancer.  Journal of Theoretical Biology,  2004 Dec 21; 231(4):515-24.

Articles about my research:

Scientific press for Non-genetic origins of cell-to-cell variability...  by Spencer SL et al.  (Nature,  2009):    

· Comment  in Nature by Phillippe Bastiaens ("Systems biology: When it is time to die".)

· Editor's Choice in Science Signaling by Bryan Ray ("Deadly Noise").

· Preview in Molecular Cell by Paul Loriaux and Alexander Hoffmann ("Of Elections and Cell-Death Decisions").

Popular press for Non-genetic origins of cell-to-cell variability... by Spencer SL et al.  (Nature,  2009):

· Article from Focus, Harvard Medical School's newspaper.     

· Article and video from the Harvard Press office.    

· Article from Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a major German newspaper.

· Article from Medscape Oncology (requires a free registration). 

· Article from Medill Reports.