Mina Bissell

Mina J. Bissell is an American cancer biologist known for pioneering research on how the tissue microenvironment and extracellular matrix influence gene expression, tissue architecture, and cancer development. She is a Distinguished Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley. Bissell has emphasized that cancer is not only a genetic disease but also a disorder of tissue organization, showing how normal cellular context can suppress malignant behavior and how disrupted surroundings can promote it. Her work has helped shape modern views of tumor biology and has influenced approaches to 3D cell culture and breast cancer research.