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Darryl T. Martin, PhD

Assistant Professor
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About

Titles

Assistant Professor

Biography

Darryl T. Martin is a basic scientist with a strong background in translational science. Dr. Martin received his PhD from Memorial University of Newfoundland under the supervision of Drs. Robert Gendron and Hélène Paradis where he trained as a cancer molecular biologist studying tumor growth and differentiation. He then trained with Dr. Robert M. Weiss (Donald Guthrie Professor of Urology) at the Yale University School of Medicine, as a Postdoctoral Associate, where he focused on drug delivery and cancer progression. Currently, Dr. Martin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urology at the Yale School of Medicine. His laboratory primarily focuses on biological factors and molecular determinants that drive disease progression and metastatic formation through their interaction with the tumor microenvironment.

Dr. Martin is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the Society for Basic Urologic Research (SBUR) and the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). Currently, the Martin Lab is funded by DoD and foundation grants.

Appointments

  • Urology

    Assistant Professor
    Primary

Other Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

PhD
Memorial University of Newfoundland, BioMedical Sciences (2010)

Research

Overview

Project 1 - Defining distant metastasis

  • Metastasis is a multi-step cascade involving cancer cell intravasation, circulatory survival, extravasation, and colonization of distant organs. We are focused on elucidating the biologic factors (i.e., testosterone, cytokines) and molecular determinants (i.e., CTCs, EMT, MMPs) that contribute to establishing distant metastasis. Using human-relevant murine models, we observe that metastatic inhibition can impact phenotypic plasticity, characterized by state transitions and tumor microenvironment remodeling.

Project 2 - Modulating the tumor microenvironment

  • The Martin Lab is investigating strategies to understand the interaction of human immune cells and tumor cells within the tumor microenvironment. Our group is focused on transforming an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment into an immune activate state that is conducive to invoke an anti-tumor response. Our group is investigating T cell recruitment mechanisms in urologic cancers using a combination of patient specimens and human-relevant murine models.

Project 3 - Enhancing tumor targeting

  • Surface modified nanoparticles provide an effective system for the delivery of drugs to malignant tissues that can be delivered locally (i.e., intravesically) or systemically with potentially enhanced cytotoxicity. We have developed tumor-homing nanoparticles that have high tumor specificity with little off target effects and excellent tumor coverage. Currently, we are screening for new potential nanoparticle ligands that will enhance tumor targeting and simultaneously activate the tumor microenvironment.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)

Biomedical Research; Cystitis, Interstitial; Drug Delivery Systems; Nanomedicine; Prostatic Neoplasms; Translational Research, Biomedical; Tumor Microenvironment; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Darryl T. Martin's published research.

Publications

2024

2023

2022

2021

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