T32 ITOS Program Fellows
Tarah Trebino, Ph.D.
Mentor: John O'Bryan, Ph.D.
Project Title: Mechanisms of RAS-mediated oncogenic signaling
Research Interests: cancer research, biochemical/biophysical methods, signaling mechanisms, therapeutic developments.
Research Aims: Investigate current mechanisms of RAS signaling and inhibition with RAS monobodies and small-molecule inhibitors.
Allison Reno, Ph.D.
Mentors: Denis Guttridge, Ph.D., Casey Langdon, Ph.D.
Project Title: 3D Organoid Models of Pediatric Sarcomas
Research Interests: My research interests are in 3D human culture modeling for pharmaceutical screening and tissue microenvironment modeling to understand how the 3D environment alters the molecular and pharmacological impact of current and future cancer treatments.
Research Aims: My research aims to develop and utilize 3D sarcoma organoids as a research tool for studying tumor microenvironments and pharmaceutical drug efficacy in pediatric sarcomas. The goal of the research is to first investigate and develop a sarcoma organoid model system that will be representative of native tissues found in pediatric sarcoma patients. Later we will use that model to examine the effects of drug response in a 3D environment as well as investigate the molecular and structural components, such as angiogenesis and protein transport, of the 3D tumor microenvironment in pediatric sarcomas.
Carlos Gomez, Ph.D.
Mentor: Antonis Kourtidis, Ph.D.
Project Title: A mechanosensitive RNAi machinery regulates pro-tumorigenic transformation in the colon
Research Interests: My research interests revolve around understanding the interplay between mechanics and biological signaling in cancer. I am particularly interested in how these two influence each other as cancer progresses. By extension, I am also interested in developing therapeutics aiming at either biological or mechanical properties of cancer and investigating their effect on this interplay.
Research Aims: I aim to further our understanding of the interplay between biological signaling and mechanics in cancer. In my doctoral training, I studied how the mechanical properties of cancer change as tumors begin to invade. In my upcoming post-doctoral experience, I aim to delve deeper into the molecular machineries that regulate these mechanical changes and that eventually lead to the progression of cancer. Specifically, I will be determining how PLEKHA7-associated RNAi regulates extracellular remodeling and cell behavior.
Kristy Thomas, Ph.D.
Mentor: Jessica H. Hartman, Ph.D.
Project Title: Cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) and its role in cancer metabolism
Research Interests: My research interests include nutrition, obesity, and metabolism (metabolic syndrome). My dissertation research focused on maternal and infant nutrition and metabolism. I specifically looked at maternal obesity and how maternal obesity impacts breast milk short chain fatty acid and microbiome profiles, preterm infant fecal short chain fatty acid and microbiome profiles. During my Ph.D. studies, my research focused on metabolic syndrome in several groups: female mice with alcoholic liver disease, male mice with non-alcoholic liver disease caused by the standard American diet (SAD) and men with HIV on PrEP, which has been known to cause malabsorption.
Research Aims:
- Determine the sensitivity of well-differentiated and poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma cells expressing CYP2E1 to palmitate and iron.
- Establish if the mechanism of cell death in hepatocellular carcinoma cells is through ferroptosis or another mechanism.
- Compare the findings from Aims 1 and 2 to several colorectal cancer cell lines which are known to be resistant to undergoing ferroptosis.
Farah Alfatyan, Ph.D.
Mentors: Tim Barnoud, Ph.D. and David Long, Ph.D.
Project Title: Tumor extrinsic roles of HSP70 and p53 in cancer
Research Interests: Passionate about exploring the immunological basis of cancer and testing and developing effective cancer immunotherapies. My research interest lies in exploring and unravelling the complexities of the tumor microenvironment and/or the immune system.
Research Aims: HSP70 and mutant p53 have been implicated in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of a wide range of human cancers. However, the tumor extrinsic roles of these proteins have not been fully investigated. My long-term goals are to better understand the molecular mechanisms by which HSP70 and mutant p53 promote cancer by regulating the tumor microenvironment (TME) in gastrointestinal cancers, with a particular focus on pancreatic and liver cancer.
Ian Padykula, Ph.D.
Mentor: John Wrangle, M.D.
Project Title: Topical AAV-based gene therapy for the treatment of locally recurrent, surgically refractory cervical cancer
Research Interests: Investigating the trafficking of lymphoid cells to mucosal tissues in response to tumorigenesis and infectious diseases.
Research Aims: The aim of my research is to develop an AAV-vectored therapeutic for the targeted delivery of immunotherapies to cervical cancer cells. By designing payloads tailored to the mucosal tissue environment, we will leverage existing immunotherapies to better direct cytotoxic cells to solid tumors at these boundaries.
Lyndsay E. A. Young, Ph.D.
Mentor: Richard R. Drake, Ph.D.
Project Title: Advancements in glycogen detection and spatial profiling reveals a new therapeutic for Ewing sarcoma: a non-traditional glycogen storage disease
Research Interests: Investigating aberrant n-glycosylation through colorectal carcinoma progression.
Research Aims: My research focuses on elucidating the role of health disparities on altered N-glycosylation patterns in colorectal disease progression. Utilizing multimodal mass spectrometry imaging techniques, we aim to profile normal, pre-invasive lesions, adenomas, and CRC carcinoma tissue samples for facilitating translational applications and a deeper understanding of the intricate molecular landscape associated with disease progression
