Omer Yilmaz, MD, PhD

Dr. Omer Yilmaz is a V Translational Grantee, and also a prior recipient of a V Scholar Grant. Dr. Yilmaz is the Director of the MIT Stem Cell Initiative, an Associate Professor of Biology at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, and a gastrointestinal pathologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts General Hospital. His work focuses on one of the most dangerous turning points in cancer: when disease spreads beyond its original site and becomes far more difficult to treat. Colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths largely because of its tendency to metastasize to the liver. Dr. Yilmaz and his team have uncovered a surprising and important finding about aspirin, a medication millions of people take every day. While aspirin can help prevent colorectal cancer from forming, his research shows that once cancer has already spread, aspirin may unintentionally weaken the immune system’s ability to fight metastatic tumors in the liver. Building on this discovery, his V Foundation–supported research is working to understand how immune defenses in the liver are altered and to identify new strategies that could slow or stop metastatic growth. By clarifying when common medications help and when they may unintentionally cause harm, Dr. Yilmaz’s work has the potential to reshape treatment decisions and protect patients during the most life-threatening phase of colorectal cancer.