News & Announcements
Congratulations to Dr. Kandace Williams on receiving the University Women's Commission
36th Annual Award
Congratulations to Kandace Williams, Ph.D., Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, Senior
Associate Dean, College of Graduate Studies, who was recently honored with the Alice
H. Skeens Outstanding Woman Award from the University Women's Commission (UWC). The
UWC established its Outstanding Woman Award in 1987. Numerous women have been honored
since its founding. Stephanie Pannell, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery and Associate
Chief Medical Officer also received the 2023 award.
In 2011, the UWC Outstanding Woman Award was re-named the Alice H. Skeens Outstanding
Woman Award to honor the life of a prolific leader who served our university for nearly
five decades as a professor, administrator and advisor. An advocate for students,
employees and women, Dr. Skeens was actively involved in numerous campus committees
and organizations ranging from student affairs and athletics to Faculty Senate. At
the time of her passing, Dr. Skeens held the distinction of having the longest tenure
at The University of Toledo and was serving as the Dean of the College of Language,
Literature and Social Sciences, now the College of Arts and Letters. Dr. Skeens steadfastly
supported the mission and vision of the UWC and was the Chair of the Scholarship Committee.
The UWC continuously strives to continue her vision by promoting scholarships for
women and recognizing outstanding service and leadership at The University of Toledo.
Congratulations Dr. Williams!
Dr. Raman Awarded $2 Million Grant to Study Aggressive Breast Cancer
Congratulations to Dr. Dayanidhi Raman who was recently awarded a 5 year, $2 million
grant from the National Cancer Institute, to study triple-negative breast cancer,
one of the most lethal, aggressive forms of breast cancer. This type of breast cancer
is generally receptive to conventional chemotherapy, but the problem is that anti-cancer
drugs often stop working which allow the cancer to return and spread. Dr. Raman reasons
that chemotherapy cannot get to the small subset of cancer-stem-like cells deep in
the tumor. Those cells, which have survived and grown immune to existing treatment,
allow the cancer to reemerge and progress unchecked. Read the story in the 2-14-23 issue of the UT News.
Congratulations to Veani Roshale Fernando for 1st place win!
Update: Roshale finished in the top 10 of 144 participants at the Chicago competition.
Outstanding Roshale!
On December 8, 2022, Ms. Veani Roshale Fernando was awarded first place for her talk
at the University of Toledo 3MT (Three Minute Thesis) Competition presenting her
talk "Fighting Breast Cancer Pain-Free." She had good competition and placed first
receiving a cash prize and all-expenses paid trip to participate in the next round
of the competition in Chicago, IL, March 31, 2023. The 3MT Competition is an academic
competition developed by the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008. Since that
time, the competition has grown to be held in over 600 institutions and 65 countries.
The goal of the 3MT is for research students from all departments and colleges to
cultivate the ability to explain their research, including both breadth and significance,
in a language appropriate to an audience containing both specialists and non-specialists
within three minutes.
Roshale also competed in the Elevator Speech Contest at the 2022 ASCB Cell Biology
meeting, finishing as Runner-Up. The elevator speech is the same premise as the 3MT
except participants only have one minute to sell their science. Great job Roshale!!
Heartiest congratulations to Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann, Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, Krista Pettee, Research Assistant, and Kathryn Becker, MD/PhD student on the issue of their U.S. Patent in January entitled "Use of Formin Agonists in Overcoming Brain Tumor Radio- and Chemo-resistance by Targeting Tumor Microtubes".
2022 Larry Gentry Research Forum
The Biomedical Sciences Cancer Biology track held our annual research retreat, Larry Gentry Research Forum, on Tuesday, October 11, at the Lancelot Thompson Student Union on the main campus of The University of Toledo. The Department of Cell & Cancer Biology sponsors this event each year, which is named after the late Dr. Larry Gentry, Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Featured were presentations from 13 students and postdoctoral fellows. The 2022 program's keynote speaker and 1997 alumni was Jenny, Wang, Ph.D., Professor of Cancer Biology & Genetics, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center. She gave a superb seminar on "Function of GRM3 in Colorectal Cancer". This event promotes scientific exchange among our students, postdoc fellows, faculty and keynote speakers. Importantly, our students interact with the guest speaker to learn their approach to a successful academic career.
Megan Dreier and Veani Roshale Fernando win 2022 Departmental Awards
 |
Megan Dreier, Ph.D.
2022 Outstanding Postdoctoral Fellow Award
|
 |
Veani Roshale Fernando
2022 Outstanding Student Award |
Welcome to the 2022 Biomedical Science Graduate Program Cell and Cancer Biology StudentsWelcome to our new class of students in the Biomedical Sciences Cell & Cancer Biology track. The annual Lab Coat Ceremony was held for our new Biomedical Science students on September 8, 2022, where they were presented fresh, white lab coats and were welcomed by Dr. Christopher Cooper and Dr. Kandace Williams (COMLS Deans), Dr. Patricia Metting (COMLS Alumni Board and Professor Emerita), fellow students, faculty and staff. Best wishes for a successful student career here at the University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences.
Pictured left to right: Azeezat Osikoya, Shubhra Kanti Dey, Rejina Shrestha, Augustine Kwabil
Dr. Kate Eisenmann Receives 2022 Gold Apple Award
Congratulations to Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann for receiving the Robert T. Tidrick Golden Apple Award in 2022 for teaching excellence in basic sciences. This is the second year in a row that she has received this award. Dr. E, Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, is the Thread 1 Director in the Department of Medical Education and was selected for this honor by the 2022 medical student graduating class. Three other basic scientists and three clinicians also received a Golden Apple.
Congratulations to our chairman, Dr. Jian-Ting Zhang, on being elected as a
Read the story in the 1-26-22 edition of UT News
Congratulations Dr. Eisenmann on your promotion to Professor in July 2022!
Cell and Cancer Biology Students Place First and Second at the 2022 Graduate Research
Forum
Roshale Fernando, current PhD candidate, placed first in the oral presentations at
the Graduate Research Forum held March 16-17, 2022. Her talk was entitled "Sepiapterin
Mediates Immunogenic Shift in Breast Cancer via Reprogramming of Tumor-Associated
Macrophages." Roshale is a 4th year student in Dr. Saori Furuta's lab.
Sayani Bhattacharjee, current PhD candidate, placed second in the oral presentations
at the Graduate Research Forum. She spoke on "Targeting MCTs to overcome Enzalutamide
Resistance in Prostate Cancer." Sayani is a 5th year student in Dr. Nagalakshmi Nadiminty's
lab.
Cell and Cancer Biology Hosts Recruitment Event
The Department of Cell and Cancer Biology recently hosted a recruitment meeting on
the main UT campus with the help of Deborah Hendricks and the UToledo Pre-Health Advising
Center. The undergrad students enjoyed lunch while hearing about the exciting opportunities
in Cell and Cancer Biology. It was a big success.
Dr. Ivana de la Serna and Dr. Xiaohong Li, CCB faculty, gave a short talk, and students,
Chris Figy, Kate Becker, Alexandria Yunglut and Mrunmayee Kandalgaonkar provided a
panel discussion.
Photo of the Week: Engaging the next generation, Dean's Update - 11/8/21 edition
Dr. Dreier Receives Travel Award for 2021 PASPCR Annual Meeting
Dr. Megan Dreier has received a travel award from the PanAmerican Society for Pigment
Cell Research (PASPCR). The annual meeting was held in Lexington, KY, September 22-25.
Dr. Dreier, a postdoctoral fellows in Dr. de la Serna's lab, will present a 5 minute
speed science presentation as well as a post entitled "Inhibiting Bromodomain Protein
9 in Melanoma."
Sayani Bhattacharjee wins 2021 Scholarship from American Association of University
Women (AAUW) 
Congratulations to Sayani Bhattacharjee for her recent award of the Dean Katherine Easley Wemmer Scholarship by the AAUW. Sayani is a Ph.D. candidate in the Biomedical Sciences Cell and Cancer Biology track and is mentored by Dr. Nagalakshmi Nadiminty. Their lab focuses on targeting prostate cancer cell-metabolism to overcome drug resistance and Sayani is researching Enzalutamide, a drug used in the treatment of prostate cancer. She is making steady progress in finding novel mechanisms that can overcome this drug's resistance.
Dr. de la Serna Awarded PASPCR Summar Project Grant
Dr. Ivana de la Serna was awarded a grant from the The Pan American Society for Pigment
Cell Research (PASPCR) to fund a high school student from an underrepresented minority
group (URM) for 10 weeks of summer research focused on pigment cell biology. Ms.
Jasmine Welborn, a senior at Toledo Technological Academy, was chosen as the recipient
of the award. Jasmine has been working on a research project that investigates the
use of epigenetic modulators in the prevention of skin cancer. Colgate-Palmolive Company
generously provided funding for fellowships to expand research opportunities for URMs
at an early stage in their education so that they develop an interest in research
and become the next generation of scientists. Jasmine received $5,000 in summer stipend
and travel funds to attend and present her work at the PASPCR conference in Lexington,
KY, September 22-25, 2021.
Welcome to the Department of Cell and Cancer Biology at UTCOMLS Dr. Kuo-Hui Su!
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Kuo-Hui (Jason) Su. He joins us from the Mouse Cancer
Genetics Program at the National Cancer Institute where he was a Research Fellow.
Dr. Su’s other postdoctoral fellowships were at the Jackson Lab, Bar Harbor, ME, and
the Institute of Physiology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. His research
focuses on investigating the role of HSF1 in cholesterol trafficking, lipid metabolic
reprogramming, and the autophagy process in pancreatic tumorigenesis via in vitro, in vivo, and preclinical models. The goal of his studies is to reveal novel clinical therapeutic
strategies to address these fundamental processes in current cancer therapies.
Congratulations to Dr. Zhang on his 2021 Award for Grantsmanship
Recipients were honored during a ceremony in May for their continued efforts in securing
external awards. As quoted from Dr. Frank Calzonetti, Vice President for Research
"In many disciplines, particularly those based on laboratory research, financial demands
for personnel support such as students, equipment, supplies and travel far exceed
what the University can provide, so external grant support is necessary to support
a faculty member's research. Many faculty members across campus are successful in
securing external awards for their research and I am pleased to be able to recognize
from this group those who have secured the most external funding for their research
programs over the past three years."
Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann Awarded the Robert T. Tidrick Golden Apple Award (Teaching Excellence
in Basic Sciences)
Congratulations to Dr. Eisenmann for received The Robert T. Tidrick Gold Apple Award
for teaching excellence. The award is named in honor of Dr. Tidrick, a surgeon and
outstanding educator on the faculty of the former Medical College of Ohio from 1969
until his death in June 1983. Both basic scientists and clinicians are selected for
the honor each year by members of the graduating class of medical students.
Cell and Cancer Biology Student Places First at the 2021 Graduate Research Forum
Current MD/PhD student, Kate Becker, placed first in oral presentation for the Graduate
Research Forum 2021 entitled "A ROCK/mDia Signaling Axis Regulates Cytoskeletal Structure
in Glioblastoma Tumor Microtubes." Kate is studying in Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann's lab.
Congratulations and Farewell Dr. Smas
Dr. Cynthia Smas decided to pursue a new chapter in life and left the University of Toledo in May. She began her career at the Medical College of Ohio (now University of of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences) 21 years ago, receiving her tenure in 2011. The two main research interests of her lab have been adipocyte function/obesity and prostate cancer. Dr. Smas was a dedicated teacher and touched many lives during her teaching and research career here, training many postdoctoral fellows, graduate students and medical students. She will be missed.
Best of Cool Ideas Award for Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann
Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann recently participated at the Innovations in Medical Education
Online Conference 2021, February 18-19, 2021, San Gabriel, CA. Her presentation entitled
"A Novel Remote Team-Based Learning Platform for Medical Students Using Readily Available
Technology" won the Best of Cool Ideas Award.
Cell and Cancer Biology Student Articles Published in the Toledo Blade
The Toledo Blade is publishing a series of articles written by Biomedical Sciences students here at the University of Toledo College of Medicine & Life Sciences. Following is the series by our Cell and Cancer Biology students:
Shreya Ganguly (4/3/23) - UT Research Investigates New Way to Treat Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Deepti Gurung (10/3/22) - UT Researcher Studies Targeted Treatment for Pancreatic Cancer
Jackson Huang (6/6/22) - UT Researchers Target Cancer Cells
V. Roshale Fernando (6/7/21) - UT Research Explores How to Stop Good Immune Cells from Turning Bad
Yetunde Makinwa (1/4/21) - UT Researchers Explore How Dying Cells Ensure a Healthy Life
Justin Fortune Creeden (12/7/20) - UT Research Turns Supercomputers Toward Cancer Research
Sayani Bhattacharjee (10/5/20) - UT Research Throws a One-Two Punch at Prostate Cancer
Kathryn Becker (7/6/20) - The Crafty Nature of Glioblastoma
Joshua Letson (4/6/20) - UT Researchers Employ Nitric Oxide in the Breast Cancer Fight
Sangita Sridharan (3/2/20) - UT Research Targets Drug-Resistant Cancer Stem Cells
Yashna Walia (12/2/19) - UT Researchers Seek the Root Cause of Breast Cancer
Cory Howard (7/1/19) - Proteins may fuel life, but some also feed cancers
Augustus Tilley (10/1/18) - Toledo researcher works to disrupt metastatic breast cancer
Kaitlyn Dvorak (7/2/18) - Microenvironment play a role in cancer progression
Kalpana Gardiyawasam (03/05/18) - Researchers aim to block breast cancer metastasis
Zehui (Lesley) Li (12/31/17) - Cancer researchers focus on how cells communicate
Shengnan Du (9/2/16) - Chemical that disrupts cell division could help to treat cancer
Kari Lavik (4/4/16) - Zebrafish help in the fight against cancer
2020-2022 Thesis Defense
|
CONGRATULATIONS to Sayani Bhattacharjee, Ph.D. Dr. Bhattacharjee successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Targeting Metabolism to Overcome Enzalutamide Resistance in Prostate Cancer" on Thursday, November 3, 2022. Dr. Bhattacharjee accepted a position as Field Application Scientist for Nanostrings Technology. She was mentored by Dr. Nagalakshmi Nadiminty. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Kathryn Becker, Ph.D. Dr. Becker successfully defended her dissertation entitled "Small-Molecule Mediated Activation of mDia Formins Disrupts Multiple Hallmark of Therapy Resistance in Patient-Derived Glioblastoma Stem-Like Cells" on Friday, March 18, 2022. Dr. Becker is in the MD/PhD program and will return to medical school to complete her requirements for her MD. She has been mentored by Dr. Kathryn Eisenmann. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Justin Creeden, Ph.D. Dr. Creeden successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Signaling Networks that Drive Deleterious Outcomes in the Pancreas and Liver" on Monday, March 14, 2022. Dr. Creeden is in the MD/PhD program and will return to medical school to complete his requirements for his MD. He has been mentored by Dr. Robert Smith. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Yetunde Makinwa, Ph.D. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Yashna Walia, M.S. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Sangita Sridharan, Ph.D. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Augustus Tilley, Ph.D. |
 |
CONGRATULATIONS to Cory Howard, Ph.D. |
2006-2019 Cell and Cancer Biology graduates