Research: Cancer Cell
Cancer Cell is a fundamental science program with a focus on processes intrinsic to the cancer cell.
Research members are focused on cancer genetics/epigenetics, DNA damage and repair, and REDOX biology, and how these processes affect cancer initiation and progression.
Theme One
Genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer
Theme Two
Redox and metabolic dysregulation in cancer
Theme Three
DNA damage and repair in cancer
in grant funding awarded in 2024.
Program Impact
Marc Greenblatt, M.D., postdoctoral researcher; and Emily Nadeau, Ph.D.
New Publications in Nature Advance Interpretation of Genetic Variants
A series of new papers by Marc Greenblatt, M.D., postdoctoral researcher Emily Nadeau, Ph.D., and colleagues, published in Genome Biology, Genetics in Medicine, the American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG), and a commentary in Nature Genetics, address challenges in interpreting genetic variations found in the course of DNA testing. Their work looks closely at the use of computational tools to interpret variations, and the application of evidence to a specific important hereditary cancer syndrome, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP).
Top: Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D., Reem Aboushousha, Ph.D. Bottom: Hend Abdelhamid, Ph.D., Raul Mostoslavsky, M.D., Ph.D., and Christina Ferrer, Ph.D.
Connections Matter: Collaborative Study in Nature Stems from Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Annual Research Day
Metastatic disease accounts for 90% of cancer-related deaths – but little about the nature of its progression is known. A collaborative study made possible by UVM Cancer Center members Yvonne Janssen-Heininger, Ph.D.; Reem Aboushousha, Ph.D.; and Hend Abdelhamid, Ph.D., identified a new driver of metastasis, the protein glutathione S-transferase theta (GSTT). The study's findings provide key insight into how metastasis is controlled and maintained in certain cancer cells.
Glass Secures UVM’s First NSF Mid-Career Advancement Award
Associate Professor of Pharmacology Karen Glass, Ph.D., was recently honored with an award totaling more than $380,000 from the Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) program for her proposed project, “Application of Cryo-Electron Microscopy to Determine the Structure of Epigenetic Regulatory Complexes.” Glass is the first UVM faculty member to receive an NSF MCA award.
I am thrilled to have the support and protected time offered through this NSF MCA award to take my research program in a new direction. - Karen Glass, Ph.D.
Andrew Fritz, Ph.D.
Faculty Scientist, Department of Biochemistry
Melissa Scheiber, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Medical Laboratory Science
Tony Mertz, Ph.D.
Faculty Scientist, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
