Curtis McCloskey

Summary

My current research focuses on ovarian and breast cancers, integrating cutting-edge multi-omics tools to identify targetable vulnerabilities within the molecular, spatial, and temporal heterogeneity that acts as barriers to personalized prevention and personalized treatment. I bring a lens of cancer prevention with a demonstrated history of finding actionable new targets for cancer prevention strategies from human tissue samples. Building on previous discoveries during my graduate and postdoctoral training, my research program will start with two main projects:

1. Investigating the impact of BRCA1 variant pleiotropy across cells-of-origin. My postdoc work showed the role of BRCA1 in regulating cell-type specific lipid metabolism, opening news avenues beyond DNA damage repair as a targetable vulnerability in high-risk women. I will extend this finding with enhanced granularity across tissues-of-origin for BRCA1-related cancers (breast, ovary, pancreas, prostate).

2. Dietary control of breast progenitors. My postdoc work identified a novel progenitor that is spatially restricted in the human breast and roots aberrant differentiation in BRCA1 mutation carriers. Preliminary data hints that this population may be diet responsive. This has opened new questions on the spatial origins of breast cancer and how each functionally and anatomically distinct region along the 3D breast ultrastructure responds to external stimuli.

The two key focuses mentioned above are highly relevant to the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Cancer Biology Program, with a goal of generating supporting data to support conducting intervention trials through local and international networks. Joining the Cancer Biology Program will enhance my program’s ability to meaningfully engage with clinical researchers to stimulate bench-to-bedside translational research. Key collaborations often come from unexpected encounters across fields and focus areas, and with UPMC Hillman’s broad Research Programs, initiatives, and Shared Resources, my membership will help drive my research goals and the institution’s goals forward.