Research Areas
- Tumor microenvironment
- Inflammation and Stress
- Drug resistance pathways
- Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT)
Scientific Achievements
- Identified EMT markers as key players in bone and nerve microenvironment interaction that promotes breast and prostate cancer
- Identified EMT as a key pathway in cancer health disparities
- Mentored 23 undergraduate, 12 graduate, 3 postdoctoral, and 2 medical students.
- Secured a Fullbright Scholar Award for 2025-2026 to study social isolation and cancer
- Faculty partner for 2 community projects in Baltimore MD: 1) They’re Survivors Too: Gender-Responsive Programming for Justice Impacted Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and 2) The Binti Circle: Yoga and Journaling Retreat for Black Daughter Caregivers
Funding
RCMI Funding: U54MD007590, 5U54MD013376, G12RR007590
Other funding obtained with RCMI support:
Other funding obtained with RCMI support:
- P20MD002285
- 5F31CA200362
- R15-226146
- R16GM149265
Scientific Advance
High Mobility Group AT hook 2: A Biomarker Associated with Resistance to Enzalutamide in Prostate Cancer Cells.
Published in Cancers (Basel), Volume 16 (15), 2024, PMCID: PMC11311100.
Published in Cancers (Basel), Volume 16 (15), 2024, PMCID: PMC11311100.
Metastatic prostate cancer is often deadly because it stops responding to common drugs like enzalutamide. This study found that a protein called High Mobility AT Hook 2 (HMGA2) may drive this drug resistance, especially in cancers that spread to the bone, liver, or lymph nodes. When HMGA2 levels were high, the cancer resisted enzalutamide but could still be treated with another drug, alisertib. This suggests HMGA2 could be a useful marker to identify resistant cancers and guide treatment choices.
NIH/NIMHD #U54MD013376, NIH/NIMHD #U54MD007590 NIH/NIGMS #R16GM149265
