Department of Cell and Cancer Biology

News & Announcements 

 

New Faculty join Dept. of Cell & Cancer Biology

The department wishes to welcome Dr. Srinivas Vinod Saladi and Dr. Jianmin Zhang to our faculty.

Dr. Saladi joins us as an Assistant Professor from Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. His research interests primarily focus on understanding the mechanism by which epigenetic reprogramming contributes to cellular plasticity in tumors. To define the mechanisms in which deregulated chromatin remodeling or altered chromatin landscape act as oncogenic drivers in cancer. Epigenetic reprogramming is a key oncogenic driver event in multiple cancers, however, very little is known about the deregulated epigenetic programs in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Dr. Zhang joins us as a Professor from the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Genetics & Genomics. His research interest is in genetic and epigenetic alterations in breast tumorigenesis and metastasis. Specifically, on elucidating genetic alterations in the Hippo signaling pathway, as well as the role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem/progenitor cell self-renewal in breast cancer progression and metastasis.

 

 

UToledo Participates in Tri-University Breast Cancer Research Retreat at Maumee Bay


Jian-Ting Zhang was an organizer for the Tri-University Breast Cancer Research Retreat at Maumee Bay State Park in Oregon, Ohio, in June. This event was hosted by UToledo, Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University, and The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

During the retreat, the Department of Cell and Cancer Biology had three speakers present their current research: Dr. Dayanidhi Raman, Dr. Kam Yeung, and Dr. Jianmin Zhang. There were also three poster presentations: one from Dr. Raman’s lab and two from Dr. Zhang’s lab, which David Escobar won 2nd place. Dr. Yue Zou was a co-chair for one of the sessions and Dr. Jason Su was one of six judges for the poster competition.  (Dean's Update,7/15/24)

Dr. Yue Zou Receives 2024-2025 Bridge Funding Award               

Dr. Yue Zou, Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, has received bridge funding from the College of Medicine & Life Sciences. The funding was awarded for his outstanding research and potential for future funding. Dr. Zou’s project, “ATR Isomerization-Based Mitochondrial Apoptosis Priming in Cancer and Therapeutic Resistance,” will receive bridge funding to investigate the role of mitochondrial ATR in oncogenesis and apoptosis. Dr. Zou discovered that ATR exists in two different isoforms: a nuclear form involved in DNA damage signaling  and a mitochondrial form that contributes to oncogenesis and therapeutic resistance by binding to tBid. This funding will help address reviewer’s concerns on his R01 application.

Faculty Recognition

Dr. JianTing Zhang, Endowed Chair of Biochemistry and Cell & Cancer Biology recently received Outstanding Research and Scholarship Award. He is recognized as an international academic leader in the field of therapeutic resistance biology and drug discovery. The impact of Zhang’s productive scholarship is reflected by his more than 140 publications and his inventions, with five approved patents and a successful clinical trial based on his discoveries. Zhang has been recognized nationally and internationally. He was invited to serve as the inaugural Editor-in-Chief for the International Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, a rare honor only reserved for highly regarded academic scholars.

In 2021, Zhang was elected as Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society. His recognition also includes the sustained federal grant support of his high impact research program for the past 30 years, making him the second current AAAS Fellow at The University of Toledo. (UT News, 4/30/24)

In addition, The University of Toledo Board of Trustees recently approved tenure for Dr. Xiaohong Li, Associate Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, and Dr. Jasmine Liu was approved for promotion to Professor of Medicine and Cell & Cancer Biology.  Congratulations to all!

Department Research Awards

Congratulations to Dr. Xiaohong Li and Dr. Shang Su on their recent grand awards:
Dr. Li:
  - 3 year grant from the Dept. of Defence, "Dormancy mimicking to inhibit prostate cancer metastasis and recurrence"
  - 1 year award from the U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command  "Developing PTH1R PROTAC degraders for lethal
     prostate cancer"
Dr. Su:
  - 2 year award from the Dept. of Defense "Dabber: D-Type Peptide Grabber for Degradation of Undruggable Transcription Factors in 
    Lethal Prostate Cancer"

Deepti Gurung Recipient of GSA Graduate Research Award for Academic Year 2023-2024

Fifth year BMSP student, Deept Gurung, has been awarded a 2023-2024 Graduate Student Association Research Award. She received $2200 in financial support for costs associated with her research project "Targeting dynamics of 14-3-3-𝞂 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer".  Deepti is advised by Dr. Jasmine Liu. Great job Deepti!

Cell and Cancer Biology Student Places Second at the 2024 Graduate Research Forum

Congratulations to Deepti Gurung, current PhD candidate in Dr. Jasmine Liu's lab, who tied in second place in the oral presentations at the Graduate Research Forum held March 21-22, 2024.  Her talk was entitled "Probing protein dynamics and conformation transitions of 14-3-3 sigma for the treatment of pancreatic cancer."  

Congratulations to Dr. Caoqinglong 'Jackson' Huang


On February 14, 2024, Dr. Huang successfully defended his dissertation for his PhD degree. The dissertation was entitled "Development of Improved Survivin Dimerization Inhbitiors for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer". Dr. Huang has been mentored by Dr. Jian-Ting Zhang. Congratulations Jackson and best of luck in your future endeavors!

Dr. Dayanidhi Raman Honored by Ohio Cancer Research with 2023 Discover Award

Congratulations to Dr. Dayanidhi Raman, Associate Professor, who was selected as the 2023 Ohio Cancer Research (OSR) Discover Awardee. This award recognizes OCR grantees who turn their pilot grant into major funding and successes in their research.

Dr. Raman received a $50,000 seed money grant from OCR in 2017 that generated nearly $3 million from other sources based on his success.

OCR has provided for $1.2 million in seed money to Toledo area researchers at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University, generating more than $87 million from other sources to continue work based on initial success. 
Dean's Update, Monday, November 21, 2023

Congratulations to 2023 Outstanding Postdoc and Student Research Awardees   
                               
Congratulations to postdoc, Yibo Luo, Ph.D., and 5th year student, Deepti Gurung, on winning the 2023 Outstanding Postdoc and Student awards in Cell & Cancer Biology. Dr. Luo is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Yue Zou and Deepti is mentored by Dr. Jasmine Liu. They are pictured below with Dr. Ivana de la Serna, who chairs the award committee. 

 

2023 Larry Gentry Research Forum

The Biomedical Sciences Cell & Cancer Biology program held our annual research retreat, the Larry Gentry Research Forum, on Friday, October 27 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. 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. Featured were presentations from 13 students and postdoctoral fellows. The keynote speaker for 2023 program was our 2005 alumni, Yatrik Shah, Ph.D., Horace W. Davenport Collegiate Professor of Physiology, Professor of Molecular & Integrative Physiology and Professor of Internal Medicine, at the University of Michigan Medical School. He gave an stimulating seminar on "Gasses, Bugs and Lipids in Colon Cancer".  

Dr. Raman on being recognized by the University of Toledo with the 2023 Basic Science Research Excellence Award! 

Dr. Dayanidhi Raman, Associate Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, recently recognized as the 2023  Basic Science Research Excellence Award. Dr. Raman was presented this award by Dr. Ivana de la Serna (nominator, left) and Dr. Christopher Cooper (right), Professor, Executive VP for Clinical Affairs and Dean, College of Medicine & Life Sciences. Dr. de la Serna wrote that he has 42 publications, and currently has four active grants. His research is at the forefront of breast cancer research, utilizes innovative approaches for improving therapeutics and touches upon important topics such as health disparities that are characteristic of this disease. His highly innovative and impactful research is recognized both nationally and internationally. Congratulations Dr. Raman on this well-deserved honor.

Dr. Shi-He Liu Awarded $2.5 million grant from NIH

Dr. Shi-He Liu, Assistant Professor of Cell & Cancer Biology, has received a five-year, $2.5 million R01 grant from the National Cancer Institute to advance his studies of targeted therapies for pancreatic cancer (PDAC).

His research focuses on engineering exosomes for pancreatic cancer-targeting therapies. Exosomes are emerging as promising nanocarriers for drug and gene delivery due to the unique properties of these naturally derived, nanoscale extracellular vesicles and their innate ability to shuttle proteins, lipids, and polynucleotides (DNA and RNA) between cells. However, substantial challenges in their application still exist, include their inability to target tumor cells and their rapid clearance by the mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) of the liver and spleen. To this end, Dr. Liu's research team has developed smart exosomes that enable active PDAC targeting while enhances evasion of the mononuclear phagocytotic system, thereby signficantly reducing the liver and spleen clearance and enhancing cytotoxic therapeutic effects on PDAC.

The current award will support his pre-clinical studies in mice to delineate the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and biodistribution profiles of the smart exosomes, to evalute their efficacy as advanced drug carriers for PDAC therapy in multiple mouse models. Furthermore, a smart exosome library, offering distinct exosome designs for personalized cancer treatment, will be constructed to advance precision PDAC-targeting therapies. Collectively, these activities, will broadly impact the field in developing innovative nanocarriers with optimized cargos and surfaces that holds great translational potential for precision PDAC treatments.

The studies will be pursued in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of UToledo faculty, including Drs. JianTing Zhang, JingYuan Liu, Yakov Lapitsky, Lauren Stanoszek, William Gunning and Andrea Kalinoski from Departments of Cell & Cancer Biology, Medicine, Chemical Engineering, Pathology and University of Toledo's Integrated Core Facilities, respectively.
Dean's Update: Monday, October 16, 2023

4th Year Cell & Cancer Biology Student, Christopher Figy, Publishes an Article in Toledo Blade   

Chris Figy, is a Ph.D. student in the Cell and Cancer Biology track of our Biomedical Science Program. He recently wrote a column in the Toledo Blade discussing his research on mitosis regulators in cancer cells. He is conducting his research in the laboratory of Dr. Kam Yeung.  

“My research is focused on a cellular protein that helps to regulate mitosis called RKIP. We now know that the process of mitosis in cancer cells is faster without RKIP expression. We have used a mouse model to compare the growth rate of breast cancer with and without RKIP expressed. Our research has shown that tumors without RKIP grow faster. Our research has also shown that cancer cells with RKIP expression eventually lose RKIP expression as they grow. Others have observed that less RKIP expression is associated with a more severe diagnosis in some cancers.”  Read the article
Dean's Update: Monday, October 2, 2023

Congratulations Dr. Zhang!

Please join us in congratulating Dr. J.T. Zhang, who has accepted the position of Interim Senior Associate Dean for Research.

Dr. Zhang completed his B.Sc. degree in Biochemistry from Nanjing University in China. He completed his Ph.D. degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from State University of New York. He joined The University of Toledo in February 2019 after 21 years of service at Indiana University School of Medicine and is currently chair of our Department of Cell and Cancer Biology.

Dr. Zhang is a recipient of numerous awards, including being elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of his extraordinary research achievements. The fellowship is a lifetime honor accorded by the AAAS. This is one of the most prestigious awards among academic researchers worldwide.

Dr. Zhang has been continuously funded for the past 30 years and studies the mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer chemotherapy with an aim of identifying new targets and therapeutics for more effective cancer treatment. He also studies the genetics of tumor development with work focusing on investigating the potential benefits of drugs that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat cancer, either on their own or by circumventing resistance to standard treatments. His recent work in collaboration with other basic and physician scientists includes bioinformatics approaches to test hypothesis using large publicly available patient databases and clinical trials, with the goal of repurposing FDA approved drugs, and in-silico screening of library-sourced compounds in combination with medicinal chemistry for discovery of new cancer drugs. 
Dean's Update: Monday, August 14, 2023

Welcome 2023 Biomedical Science Graduate Program Cell and Cancer Biology Students          

We would like to welcome the 2023 first year students in the Biomedical Sciences Cell & Cancer Biology track.  The annual Lab Coat Ceremony was held for our new Biomedical Science students on September 7, 2023, 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: Rahul Verma, Ahmad Hegazi, Sushma Khatri, and Prisca Njoku

 

 

 

Congratulations Dr. Raman on your promotion to Associate Professor with Tenure!

 

 

 

ASBMB Interview with Dr. Shang Su

 

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's interviewed Dr. Shang Su in June 2023 as part of their Amplifying API Voices Postdoc Member Interviews program.  Dr. Su is a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Xiaohong Li and studying prostate cancer and tumor dormancy in cancer bone metastasis. You can watch the video interview here.
Great presentation Dr. Su!

 

Congratulations to Cell & Cancer Biology 2023 Ph.D.'s

Congratulations to Dr. Veani Rosale Fernando and Dr. Joshua Letson on receiving their Doctorate of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences, Cell & Cancer Biology degrees. Their advisor, Dr. Saori Furuta, hooded her students and Dr.  Kam Yeung served as an academic advisor on the students' committees.

Pictured left to right: Dr. Kam Yeung, Dr. Veani Roshale Fernando, Dr. Joshua Letson, Dr. Saori Furuta

 

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!!

 

 

 

     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 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:

• Christopher Figy (10/2/23) - UT Research Examines Cancerous Fallout When Cell Division Goes Bad
• 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

 

2023-2024 Thesis Defense

	CONGRATULATIONS TO Shreyasi Ganguly, M.S. Ms. Ganguly successfully defended her dissertation on May 8, 2024, entitled "Targeting the Thioesterase Domain of FASN using Lansoprazole Derivatives in Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cells". She was mentored by Dr. JianTing Zhang.
	CONGRATULATIONS to Caoqinglong 'Jackson' Huang, Ph.D. Dr. Huang successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Development of Improved Survivin Dimerization Inhibitors for Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer" on Wednesday, February 14, 2024. Dr. Huang was mentored by Dr. JianTing Zhang.

Cell and Cancer Biology graduates