Research Expertise

Research Interests:
Bone and soft tissue tumors; sarcoma; mechanisms of malignant transformation; ubiquitination; GTPases; NFkB

Description of Research:
My career interest is to understand the mechanisms underlying malignant transformation. The progression of a normal cell into a cancerous one entails profound changes in numerous cellular functions, including its proliferation, survival, and motility/invasiveness, all of which contribute to metastatic behavior. These cell autonomous changes are coupled with alterations in the tumor cells’ microenvironment, which exhibits a mutual regulation with the tumor cells and impacts upon the above properties. My work has been aimed at identifying the signaling pathways that play pivotal roles in these processes.

Most recently, we have focused our efforts on elucidating critical pathogenic factors in the development of bone and soft tissue tumors (BSTTs). In comparison to carcinomas and hematological malignancies, much less is known about the etiology of BSTTs, some of which preferentially affect children. A subset of pediatric BSTTs are driven by pathognomonic chromosomal translocations, including Ewing sarcoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and aneurysmal bone cyst. Studies in my laboratory are aimed at identifying the mechanisms by which they contribute in disease pathogenesis. We have recently determined that the TRE17/USP6 oncogene acts as a critical pathogenic agent across a number of BSTTs. TRE17 affects multiple aspects of tumor cell biology and simultaneously modulates the tumor microenvironment. The goals of my laboratory are to determine the molecular mechanisms by which TRE17 functions, to identify additional cellular pathways critical for BSTT pathogenesis, and to develop murine models of BSTTs to ultimately allow development of novel therapeutic strategies.
My laboratory also focuses on pathogenic mechanisms of Ewing sarcoma, alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, and a newly described cancer, sinonasal sarcoma. Efforts are underway to identify the mechanism by which their respective pathognomonic translocations function in these cancers, and identifying novel sensitivities to cytotoxic agents.

Lab Personnel:
Laura Quick - Research Specialist
Robert Young - Research Specialist
Ian Henrich - Graduate Student
Krista Bledsoe - Postdoctoral Associate
 

Itmat Expertise

Pediatric neoplasms; sarcoma; Inflammatory signaling; ubiquitination; GTPases

Graduate Groups

Cell and Molecular Biology
Pharmacology

Education

BA (Biochemistry), Barnard College, 1987
PhD (Molecular Oncology), Rockefeller University, 1993

Specialty Certification

Postgraduate Training

Research Assistant, Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rockefeller University, 1987-89
Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, 1993-77

Awards and Honors

Research Special Fellow, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Memberships and Professional Organizations

AACR, 2013 - Current
Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer, 2017 - current
NCI Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel: OBT Cancer Biology
Ad hoc Member, 2017 - 2017
NCI Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel: Provocative Questions in Pediatric Cancer
Ad Hoc Member, 2018 - 2018
American Society for Microbiology, - Present
Member of Membrane Biology and Protein Processing (MBPP) Study
Section, NIH, - Present
American Society for Cell Biology, - Present

Web Links

Selected Publications

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