Grant Recipients

Lipid-loaded macrophages as novel therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer

An immunopeptidomics-guided approach to refine target selection of breast cancer antigens for T cell receptor engineered T cell (TCR T) therapy

Predictive Markers of Immunotherapy Response in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Targeting the TREX1 Checkpoint to Improve Anti-Tumor Immunity

Understanding the role of macrophages in tumor dormancy

Targeting matrix stiffness to block invasion progression of ER+ breast cancer

Tailoring CAR-T Cell Activity for Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Obesity Management Augmenting Endometrial Cancer prevention

The development of OvaPrint, a cell-free DNA methylation test for the early detection of high-grade serious ovarian cancer

Identifying molecular drivers of PI3K inhibitor resistance in metastatic breast cancer via liquid biopsy

Using natural killer cells to treat metastatic breast cancer

New Approaches to Target Vertebral Metastases in Breast Cancer

Targeting MKK3-MYC complex to reduce racial survival disparity in breast cancer

Rewiring of splicing programs in endometrial and ovarian cancers by new therapeutic agents

Examining the link between chromosomal instability and epigenetic alterations in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

Artificial Intelligence for Multi-Modal Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Detecting bone metastatic breast cancer by nanoparticle enhanced MRI

Targeting estrogen-eIF4A intersection in women’s LAM tumors

Targeting Creatine Kinase Brain Isoform (CKB) to Improve Survival from Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis

Understanding the Initiation of Endometrial Cancer

Inhibition of ALC1 ATPase activity as a new synthetic lethal strategy for BRCA-mutant cancers

Chemical Proteomic Identification of Druggable Vulnerabilities in Ovarian Cancer

Pharmacology of human papillomavirus inhibitory compounds in mice

Targeting treatment-resistant ovarian cancer cell states

Implantable “Tumor Trap” for Metastatic Cancer Cells

Hijacking the Estrogen Receptor to Activate Apoptotic Pathways in ER-Positive Breast Cancer

Towards Predictive Biomarkers in Cervical Cancer: Determining Carcinogenic Activities of E6 Oncogene Variants Detected in HPV16 Infected Women

Enhancing the efficacy of antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapy in aggressive breast cancers

Chromosomal instability as a marker of paclitaxel response in breast cancer

Targeting telomerase to modulate tumor immune microenvironment in endometrial cancer

Therapeutic Targeting of ILK in Breast Cancer

Dr. Liu’s research focuses on a novel class of small proteins called micropeptides in relation to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. She believes that incorrectly made micropeptides contribute to treatment resistance in some TNBCs. By comparing all of the micropeptides being made in treatment-resistant versus treatment-responding TNBC cells, Dr. Liu has identified several micropeptide candidates that may contribute to treatment resistance. When she interfered with one of those micropeptides, the treatment-resistant cancer cells were once again able to respond to a traditional chemotherapy drug used in TNBC. She is currently doing further experiments to validate these exciting findings.

Dr. Chica Parrado’s research focuses on understanding how changes to a cellular signaling pathway contribute to resistance to standard therapies in ER+ metastatic breast cancer. This pathway seems to be overactive in treatment-resistant ER+ breast cancers. She is using tumor samples from patients with treatment-resistant ER+ breast cancer to create miniature 3D tumors in the lab, called organoids. These tumor organoids can be used to study the exact changes and mechanisms that led to drug resistance, as well as to identify therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance.

Dr. Xie received his doctorate from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China in 2021 and joined the lab of Beatriz Fontoura, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology, in 2022. Dr. Xie’s research project aims to reveal the architecture of nuclear speckles and their functions in pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA nuclear export. The Fontoura laboratory has recently shown that a specific protein, TAO2 kinase, is a key regulator of nuclear speckle morphology and function in splicing and nuclear export of mRNA. One of the interacting partners of TAO2 kinase is the RNA binding proteins hnRNPH1&2 proteins. Dr. Xie has recently uncovered novel functions for the hnRNPH proteins as novel constituents of nuclear speckles that mediate pre-mRNA splicing and nuclear export of mRNAs to the cytoplasm. As the center of a splicing oncogenic switch, hnRNPH is upregulated in different cancer cells including gliomas, chronic myeloid leukemia, and in breast cancer cells. This upregulation is proposed to promote proliferation, migration, and invasion of tumor cells. Revealing the molecular mechanism of how hnRNPH proteins regulate RNA splicing and nuclear export may provide insights into potential new therapeutic targets. In addition to his research, Dr. Xie has participated in multiple professional development workshops including a workshop on National Institutes of Health K99/R00 grant writing.

Dr. Nogueira received his doctorate at State University of Campinas-UNICAMP in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2022 and joined the lab of Maralice Conacci-Sorrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Cell Biology. Throughout his undergraduate and master’s studies, he directed his scientific efforts to the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neurobiology in obesity, aiming at improving patient treatment. He investigated the role of hypothalamic astrocytes treated with saturated fatty acid in vitro and how hypothalamic astrocytes from diet-induced obese mice react to treatment with physical activity. During his Ph.D. training, he characterized new therapeutic targets for obesity treatment, based on G protein-coupled receptors in the hypothalamic melanocortin system, focusing on physiological effects and cellular metabolism. As a postdoctoral researcher at UT Southwestern, he plans on using mouse models to define how increased tryptophan uptake by cancer cells affects the levels of serotonin, a product of tryptophan, in the central nervous system. His long-term goal is to characterize the systemic effects of cancer in nutrient metabolism in different tissues, with the goal of developing new strategies to improve the quality of life of patients living with liver cancer. During his time at UT Southwestern he has already submitted a manuscript, which is under consideration at Nature Communications and is preparing to submit a second. He is also collaborating with another lab at UT Southwestern to develop a clear tissue immunofluorescence technique with the goal of gaining a better understanding of colocalization with structural proteins and cell types. Specifically, he is working on applying this technique to the liver of genetically engineered mice that have been modified to express the MYC oncogene.

Dr. Silva received her doctorate from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil in 2021 and will join the lab of Jennifer Kohler, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry in July 2023. Dr. Silva’s project will involve the role of hyposialytion in malignancies associated with RUNX1 expression. Hypersialyation occurs commonly in cancer and knowledge about the mechanisms of the changes in sialyation (the addition of sialic acid residues to glycoconjugates) and how to restore normal levels could be potential cancer therapeutic approaches.

Dr. Wang received his doctorate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China in 2023 and will join the lab of Jinming Gao, Ph.D., Professor of Cell Biology in August 2023. During his Ph.D. training, Dr. Wang’s research centered on nanomedicine for atherosclerosis/tumor therapy. He is interested in applying polymer science and bioengineering skills in tumor immunology for cancer immunotherapy. To date, he has published 13 papers in the Science Citation Index, including Biomaterials, Journal of Controlled Release, Advanced Healthcare Materials, and ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering as the first author. He hopes to make outstanding contributions in developing new technologies against many types of cancer (e.g., lung cancer and breast cancer) with his polymer therapeutics background under Dr. Gao’s supervision.