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The Zanivan Laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms by which cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) influence tumor progression, with particular emphasis on their interactions with immune cells and their role in shaping an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. A central aim is to uncover how stroma-immune crosstalk drives immunosuppression and how this can be reprogrammed to restore anti-tumor immunity and enhance responsiveness to cancer therapies. We place strong emphasis on the metabolic regulation of these interactions, investigating how metabolism in CAFs and immune cells can be modulated to generate therapeutic vulnerabilities. Our overarching goal is to develop strategies to target CAFs to improve cancer treatment. We also develop and apply advanced mass spectrometry-based proteomics for mechanistic research and biomarker discovery for early cancer detection and risk stratification.