Carlos Caulin, PhD
Dr. Caulin received his PhD from the Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, studying alterations in epidermal differentiation during skin carcinogenesis. He did a post-doctoral training at The Burnham Institute focused on cellular processes involved in epithelial cell apoptosis. He then moved to Baylor College of Medicine where he became Assistant Professor of Dermatology-Research, specialized in oncogenic activities that promote squamous cell carcinoma progression. In 2010 he moved to MD Anderson Cancer Center to continue his work on head and neck cancer development. In 2018 he joined the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Arizona as Associate Professor and Director of Translational Head/Neck Cancer Research.
Cancer Focus
Our lab investigates biological mechanisms involved in head and neck cancer. We are interested in studying how mutations that accumulate in tumor epithelial cells contribute to cancer development, modulate the immune microenvironment of the tumors, and promote resistance to therapy, including immunotherapies. We generate mouse models tailored to study these processes, and use these mice to conduct relevant preclinical studies and to identify mechanisms of resistance to therapy. We perform cross-species analyses of the tumors generated in these mice and human head and neck cancers to identify new cancer drivers and to refine therapeutic strategies.