PhD
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Cell Biology Research Program
Area of Interest
My passion as a scientist is to perform research that contributes to a better understanding of pancreatic cancer biology and leads to improved treatments for this disease. My work focuses on the relatively unexplored mechanisms by which the KRAS oncogene drives the altered metabolic processes that fuel pancreatic cancer growth. As a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Channing Der at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-Chapel Hill), I addressed the role of KRAS in the increased autophagic activity required for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) growth. I found that the genetic suppression of KRAS increased autophagic flux, as did pharmacological inhibition of its effector, ERK MAPK. This finding led me to conclude that concurrent inhibition of ERK and autophagy may be an effective PDAC treatment. Additionally, my autophagy study has invigorated interest in targeting autophagy for PDAC treatment and led to the initiation of clinical trials at MD Anderson Cancer Center (NCT04132505), UNC-Chapel Hill and Harvard/DFCI (NCT04386057). As an independent investigator, my laboratory has been awarded an R37 MERIT award from the NCI, an Idea Award from the Department of Defense, and multiple foundational grants to support to support our studies. Projects in the lab are focused on improving our understanding of how best to target autophagy in RAS-driven cancers, including defining new anti-autophagy targets and novel strategies for autophagy inhibition. Also, our interests have expanded to include other resistance mechanisms to direct RAS and ERK-MAPK inhibitors, with a particular focus on metabolic-based resistance mechanisms.
Awards and Honors
- Stimulus Award, UNC Lineberger (with John P. Morris, IV), 2023
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Therapeutic Accelerator Collaborative Award, 2022
- William Guy Forbeck Scholar Award, 2020
- Innovation Award, UNC Lineberger, 2020
- Sky Pancreatic Cancer Foundation, Seed Grant, 2020
- Developmental Research Award, Washington University Pancreatic SPORE, 2019
- Scholar Award, William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation, 2020
- Joseph S. Pagano Award, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2019
- AACR / Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Pathway to Leadership Award, 2015
News and Stories
Scientific symposium highlights latest developments in pancreatic cancer research
UNC Lineberger’s 47th annual scientific symposium featured 17 presentations from faculty at UNC Lineberger and institutions across the United States.
Symposium offers trainees insights on research career paths
Graduate and postdoctoral students attended the Channing J. Der Annual Career Symposium on May 1 to learn about different science career paths they might consider after completing their training.
