Mercurio Laboratory Research Associate, Peter, was accepted to and will be enrolling in the Cancer Biology Ph.D. program at Gerstner Sloan Kettering at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center this fall.
We are so proud of you!!!
2021 Mercurio Lab Photo
Despite all the construction on the UMass Medical School Campus and exciting science going on in the Mercurio Laboratory, we finally were able to take our Annual Mercurio Laboratory Photo this morning!
OUR PAPER ON HSF1'S ROLE IN FERROPTOSIS RESISTANCE IS PUBLISHED IN EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE!
ABSTRACT
Understanding how cancer cells resist ferroptosis is a significant problem that impacts ongoing efforts to stimulate ferroptosis as a therapeutic strategy. We reported that prominin2 is induced by ferroptotic stimuli and functions to resist ferroptotic death. Although this finding has significant implications for therapy, specific prominin2 inhibitors are not available. We rationalized that the mechanism by which prominin2 expression is induced by ferroptotic stress could be targeted, expanding the range of options to overcome ferroptosis resistance. Here, we show that that 4-hydroxynonenal (4HNE), a specific lipid metabolite formed from the products of lipid peroxidation stimulates PROM2 transcription by a mechanism that involves p38 MAP kinase-mediated activation of HSF1 and HSF1-dependent transcription of PROM2. HSF1 inhibitors sensitize a wide variety of resistant cancer cells to drugs that induce ferroptosis. Importantly, the combination of a ferroptosis-inducing drug and an HSF1 inhibitor causes the cytostasis of established tumors in mice, although neither treatment alone is effective. These data reveal a novel approach for the therapeutic induction of ferroptosis in cancer.
Brown CW, Chhoy P, Mukhopadhyay D, Karner ER, Mercurio AM. Targeting Prominin2 Transcription to Overcome Ferroptosis Resistance in Cancer. EMBO Molecular Medicine. 2021 July 05.
Congrats Dr. Ameer Elaimy, M.D., Ph.D.!!!
Mercurio Laboratory Alum, Ameer Elaimy, today graduated with his M.D. and Ph.D. from UMass Medical School!!!
He will be staying in Massachusetts for his internship/PGY-1 year at MetroWest Medical Center/Tufts and matched in Radiation Oncology at Michigan Medicine for his residency.
Dr. Elaimy can be found on twitter at @DrAmeerElaimy.
We are looking forward to hearing all about his adventures and discoveries at UMichigan.
CONGRATS ON ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!!!
Congrats Mengdie Wang and Dimpi Mukhopadhyay on Receiving Their Research Fellowships!
Post-Doctoral Fellow Mengdie Wang, Ph.D. received the U.S. Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program, Early Investigator Award!
Ph.D. candidate Dimpi Mukhopadhyay was named the co-recipient of the Zelda Haidak Memorial Scholarship in Cell Biology.
The Haidak Scholarship is named in honor of Zelda S. Haidak, the wife of long-time faculty member Gerald L. Haidak, M.D., to support female trainees working in the area of cell biology.
Congrats to Mengdie Wang and Dimpi Mukhopadhyay!!!! Job Well Done!!!