Investigators

Summary

Cancer related research: 1. Tumor immune microenvironment in ovarian cancer focusing on tumor associated macrophages and TGF-B as well as strategies to enhance benefit of immunotherapy in ovarian cancer; 2. Her2 directed targeted therapy in combination approach targeting resistance mechanisms; 3. DNA-damage response targeted therapy based on ATR targeted therapy in combination approach to reverse PARPi resistance in ovarian…

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Dr. Phuong Mai’s work focuses on the role of genetic testing to identify individuals with a hereditary predisposition to cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer. She is also working on risk reducing interventions and early-detection in individuals at increased cancer risk.

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Marcus Malek, MD, director of Pediatric Surgical Oncology at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, directs a unique research program focused on improving surgical outcomes in pediatric tumors through use of novel molecular imaging technology. Towards this end, he and his lab team are developing new surgical tracers to guide surgeons to the tumor, facilitate safe resection, and confirm that the entire tumor was removed. Complete surgical resection of tumors is critical to providing the best possible patient outcomes, but unfortunately, incomplete resection is a common occurrence. A…

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My research focuses on studying the protein-protein interactions within the “CBM” signaling complex, composed of CARMA1 (a scaffolding protein), BCL10 (an adaptor protein), and MALT1 (a scaffolding protein with proteolytic activity). In normal lymphocytes, the CBM complex mediates activation of the pro-survival NF-kappaB transcription factor in response to antigen receptor stimulation. Inappropriate activation of this complex drives neoplastic diseases including lymphoid cancers such as non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and likely a subset of pediatric T-cell lymphoma. My goal is to understand how…

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I am interested in reducing health disparities through understanding the complex pathways socioeconomic status and stress affects cancer genomics and, subsequently population health. My current work focuses on neighborhood socioeconomic metrics that may influence head and neck cancer through the cancer care continuum. I aim to develop a case-control study with prospective follow-up of patients in Western Pennsylvania to elucidate this pathway in head and neck…

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Dr. McAuliffe focuses on the surgical treatment of all breast diseases, with special interest and research emphasis on invasive lobular breast cancer, de-implementing low-value breast surgical care, pre-invasive neoplasms such as DCIS and LCIS, premenopausal and elderly breast cancer, breast conservation therapy, locally advanced breast cancer and axillary management. She collaborates with the Breast Disease Research Repository for breast biospecimens and leads several breast surgery clinical…

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My research interests are in the underlying causes of mobility disability in cancer survivors. Specifically, I am interested in investigating how neuromuscular and cognitive capacities change with cancer and treatment and how they are associated with changes in balance, gait, falls, and quality of life.

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Our lab is exploring the role of the gut and tissue microbiome on systemic immunity in the context of complex diseases such as autoimmunity and cancer. Further we ask how we can use other environmental factors such as physical exercise and diet to tune microbiota metabolic output to modulate systemic immunity thereby changing cancer outcome.

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Dr. Mellors' laboratory focuses on resistance to antiretroviral drugs used for treatment and HIV prevention and on mechanisms of HIV persistence and strategies to deplete the reservoirs that are the barrier to curing HIV infection. His work on HIV reservoirs showed that low-level viremia persists in most individuals on long-term suppressive ART, and that the level of residual viremia is predicted by the level of viremia before ART. Current work focuses on identifying agents to reverse HIV latency and to eliminate HIV infected cells. The impact of innovative therapies on HIV reservoirs is…

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My research focuses on two areas: (1) Imaging Biomarkers in Cancer: Investigating imaging biomarkers for the early detection, diagnosis, therapy response, and prognosis of cancers, including lung, ovarian, and melanoma; (2) AI in Robotic Surgery: Exploring how AI can improve robotic surgery, such as simulating lung motion during lung biopsy procedures to accurately localize lesions and guide biopsy needle insertion, enhancing precision and reducing complications.The multidisciplinary environment at Hillman Cancer Center is ideal for integrating my AI methodologies with clinical practices.…

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I am a Tenured Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, the director of Pitt's CHAllenges in Management and Prevention of Pain (CHAMPP) center, and the PI of a NIDA-funded research center, Tailored Retention and Engagement for Equitable Treatment of OUD and Pain (TREETOP), the goal of which is to improve treatment for comorbid opioid use disorder (OUD) and chronic pain. I am a PhD-trained behavioral scientist and an addiction medicine and palliative care physician who treats individuals with opioid misuse/OUD and chronic pain, including chronic cancer-related chronic pain.…

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Brain Tumor Metabolism and Functional Cancer Genomics Laboratory Laboratory of brain tumor metabolism and functional cancer genomics laboratory are established and directed by Dr. Antony MichealRaj in September 2021 at the Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. We are focused on exploring the underlying disease mechanism of pediatric brain tumors, with a specific interest in pediatric cancer stem cells- brain tumor metabolism and epigenetics and post transcriptional and translational regulation. Our team is investigating following major themes in…

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Dr. Modugno is a molecular epidemiologist focused on women’s cancers, especially ovarian, breast, and endometrial cancers. Dr. Modugno’s research has examined the underlying epidemiology of ovarian and breast cancer etiology and outcomes with a focus on genetic, hormonal, and immunologic factors. As the Principal Investigator of the HOPE study, one of the largest studies of ovarian cancer risk and prognosis ever conducted in the US (2003-2008), Dr. Modugno was a founding member of the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC), a multinational consortium of ovarian…

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DNA replication remains one of the main targets of cancer therapies as cancer cell generally proliferate faster and are prone to replication stress. My research interests involve studying the control of the initiation of DNA replication under normal conditions, in cancer, and in response to DNA damage. During my postdoctoral work, I have identified the signaling mechanism that mediates rapid and massive dormant origin firing in response to ATR or WEE1 inhibition. As a PI, I use ATR inhibition-induced origin firing, auxin-inducible degron systems, split Turbo-ID proteomics and other innovative…

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Dr. Monga is the UPMC Endowed Chair for Experimental Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine. He is a Professor of Pathology and Medicine and the Associate Dean of Research for the School. He is the Executive Vice Chair of Pathology and the Chief of the Division of Experimental and Translational Pathology. He is the inaugural Director of the Pittsburgh Liver Institute and also the founding Director of P30 funded Pittsburgh Liver Research Center (PLRC), which is 1 of the 17 NIDDK-funded Digestive Disease Research Core Centers and only 1 of the 3 with exclusive liver…

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Dr. Moore focuses his research on the link between viruses and cancer. Through his research, he hopes to answer why some viruses evolve to cause cancer while others cause nothing worse than the common cold. Dr. Moore and his wife, Yuan Chang, MD, discovered Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), also called human herpesvirus 8. KSHV causes Kaposi’s sarcoma, the most common malignancy occurring in AIDS patients. Kaposi’s sarcoma, a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues under the skin or mucous membranes, can be very aggressive in people whose immune systems…

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I am a physician scientist specializing in radiation therapy for the treatment of head and neck cancer and cutaneous malignancies. My laboratory utilizes genetically engineered mouse models, orthotopic syngeneic transplant mouse models, and patient samples to study the development and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), as well as to evaluate biomarkers and new therapeutic combinations for head and neck cancer. We are particularly interested in molecular characteristics of radiation resistance and immune dysregulation within the tumor microenvironment of…

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I am a physician scientist in radiation oncology with a focus on identifying targetable mechanisms of pancreatic cancer resistance in the laboratory, and dose escalated hypofractionated radiation therapy in the clinic. Over the course of my education and training, I have developed the expertise and skills to pursue my primary goal of identifying and solving research problems whose solutions can bring increased quantity and quality of life to my patients. I have a broad range of medical and scientific experience, and have been the most fulfilled when answering questions that could have a clear…

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As a faculty in the Department of Radiation Oncology, I have been working on multiple cancer-related projects, including: 1. Using radiation as a modality in ovarian cancer mouse models in the presence of mitigators of radiation damage; 2. Ameliorating fibrosis in post-irradiated surviving lung cancer patients; 3. Evaluating senescence as an important factor in lung cancer progression. 

Summary

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most deleterious of DNA lesions and must be timely and accurately repaired to prevent genome instability. Telomeres, the ends of our linear chromosomes, resemble DSBs and must be protected from improper DNA damage signaling and repair. Telomeres also shorten with every cell division, which provides a tumor suppressor function, but critically short telomeres activate senescence and aging phenotypes. How DSBs are recognized and repaired but telomeres are protected from an improper DNA damage response is a major question in both cancer and aging biology.…