Systems and Molecular Biology

Keywords: Cancer biology, bioinformatics, and gene networks

While small cell lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer in the united states, there are few successful treats available for patients. Initially, small cell lung cancer is treated with platinum-based therapies; however, the response is short lived and replase usually occurs with even more aggressive forms of small-cell lung cancer. As part of the Oliver Lab at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, I was interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of therapeutic response and resistance. We believe that by uncovering the mechanisms of cancer, we can develop personalized cancer therapeutics based on the characteristics of a specific type of cancer and the mutations and mechanistics unique to each tumor population.

Related Publications:

Olsen, R.O.; Ireland, A.S.; Kastner, D.W.; Groves, S.M.; Spainhower, K.B.; Pozo, K.; Kelenis, D.P.; Whitney, C.P.; Guthrie, M.R.; Wait, S.J.; Soltero, D.; Witt, B.L.; Quaranta, V.; Johnson, J.E.; Oliver, T.G.; “ASCL1 represses a SOX9+ neural crest stem-like state in small cell lung cancer.” Genes & Development. 35, 847-869 (2021).

Ireland, A.S.; Micinski, A.M.; Kastner, D.W.; Guo, B.; Wait, S.J.; Spainhower, K.B.; Conley, C.C.; Chen, O.S.; Guthrie, M.R.; Soltero, D.; Qiao, Y.; Huang, X.; Tarapcsak, S.; Devarakonda, S.; Chalishazar, M.D.; Gertz, J.; Moser, J.C.; Marth, G.; Puri, S.; Witt, B.L.; Spike, B.T.; Oliver, T.G. “MYC Drives Temporal Evolution of Small Cell Lung Cancer Subtypes by Reprogramming Neuroendocrine Fate.” Cancer Cell. 1(38), 60-78 (2020).

Morris, D. L., Kastner, D. W., Johnson, S., Strub, M., He, Y., Bleck, C. K., Lee, D., Tjandra, N. “Humanin induces conformational changes in the apoptosis regulator BAX and sequesters it into fibers, preventing mitochondrial outer-membrane permeabilization” Journal of Biological Chemistry. 50(294), 19055-19065 (2019).

Ashraf, N. M., Krishnagopal, A., Hussain, A., Kastner, D. W., Mahmoud, A., Sayed, M., Mok, Y., Swaminathan, K., Zeeshan, N. “Engineering of serine protease for improved thermostability and catalytic activity using rational design” Int. J. Biol. Macromolecules. 126(229-237), (2019).

Ashraf, N. M., Imran, K., Kastner, D. W., Ikram, K., Mushtaq, A., Hussain, A., Zeeshan. N. “Potential involvement of mi-RNA 574-3p in progression of prostate cancer: A bioinformatic study.” Molecular Cell Probes. 36(11), 21-28 (2017).