Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D.
1991, Yale University School of Medicine
UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Surgical Oncology
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Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D. 1991, Yale University School of Medicine UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center |
Research Interests: Breast cancer; cancer biology; molecular
oncology; gene expression; translational regulation; signal transduction; molecular
therapeutics
My laboratory us studying alterations in gene expression that impact the development
and progression of breast cancer. One goal of the laboratory is to identify
tyrosine kinases that are differentially expressed between malignant and normal
breast cells and to determine their role in cancer biology. Another goal is
to identify alterations in mRNA translation in breast cancer and to study the
effect of translation initiation factor eIF4E overexpression on breast cancer
cell growth and the translational
profile. We are also studying the role of the mTOR signaling pathway in breast
cancer cell growth, cell cycle and translation. We are evaluating the efficacy
of mTOR inhibitors for breast cancer therapy, as a single agent and in combination
with known breast cancer therapeutics.
A tutorial in my laboratory would provide experience with basic
molecular biology techniques, cloning, in vitro and in vivo growth assays, translation
assays, signal transduction, cell cycle, and array technology.
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Matsumoto K, Meric F, Wolffe AP (1996) Translational repression dependent on the interaaction of xenopus Y-box protein FRGY2 with mRNA. J Biol Chem 271:22706-22712.
Meric F, Searfoss AM, Sormington M, Wolffe AP (1996) Masking and unmasking maternal mRNA: the role of polyadenylation, transcription, splicing and nuclear history. J Biol Chem 271:30804-30810.
Meric F, Matsumoto K, Wolffe AP (1997) Regulated unmasking of in vivo synthesized maternal mRNA at oocyte maturation. A role for the chaperone nucleoplasmin. J Biol Chem 272:12840-12845.
Meric F, Hunt KK (2002). Translation Initiation in Cancer: A Novel Target for Therapy. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 1:971-979.
Noh WC, Peng J, Mondesire W, Mills GB, Hung MC, Meric-Bernstam F (2004). Determinants of rapamycin sensitivity in breast cancer cells. Clin Cancer Research 10(3):1013-23.
Mondesire WH, Jian W, Zhang H, Ensor J, Hung MC, Mills GB, Meric-Bernstam F (2004) Targeting mammalian target of rapamycin synergistically enhances chemotherapy-induced cytotoxicity in breast cancer cells. Clin Cancer Res 10(20):7031-42.
Dong J, Peng J, Zhang H, Mondesire WH, Jian W, Mills GB, Hung MC, Meric-Bernstam F (2005) Role of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta in rapamycin-mediated cell cycle regulation chemosensitivity. Cancer Res 65(5):1961-72.
Program Affiliation:
Program in Cancer Biology