Matei Lab

Daniela Matei, MD, a leading ovarian cancer researcher and oncologist, is Professor of Gynecologic Oncology & Hematology/Oncology in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. She is the co-leader of Lurie Cancer Center's Women’s Cancer Research Program.

Matei joined Northwestern from the Indiana University School of Medicine, where she was a professor in the Departments of Medicine and Obstetrics & Gynecology and co-leader of Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center’s Experimental and Developmental Therapeutics Program, coordinating drug development efforts at the bench and in the clinic. Her laboratory studies mechanisms of ovarian cancer metastasis and novel therapeutics for ovarian cancer.

Areas of Focus

One direction of Matei’s current research focuses on finding new treatments to eradicate ovarian cancer stem cells and improve outcomes for women with this deadly cancer. Another area of investigation is to characterize epigenetic modifications in chemotherapy resistant tumors, to target the epigenome and re-establish response to chemotherapy for ovarian tumors that have become resistant to treatment. Lastly, Matei’s laboratory studies lipid metabolism in ovarian cancer and its contributions to cancer stemness and metastasis. Matei is actively engaged in clinical research and is involved in numerous clinical trials that test novel therapies for ovarian cancer, including cooperative group and National Cancer Institute–sponsored trials for gynecologic cancers. Together with Dr. Al Benson, MD, she co-leads the NCTN activities of the Lurie Cancer Center, as a LAPS site.

Together with Drs. Marcus Peter, PhD and Jeffrey Sosman, MD, Matei co-leads the Lurie Cancer Center’s Translational Research Program in Solid Tumors. The goal of the Program is to advance understanding of solid cancers — identifying molecular drivers and developing targeted, personalized approaches for cancer care. In collaboration with Dr. Jindan Yu, Phd, Matei co-leads the Translational Bridge Program of the Lurie Cancer Center, which facilitates bench to bedside research and training of post-doctoral fellows. She was the recipient of several awards for significant contributions to clinical or basic science cancer research.