Student Directory

Hometown: Hilltown, PA

Undergraduate Education:  BA/05 Biology/Bryn Mawr

Research Interest: Pediatric leukemia focusing on a gene called Ikaros

Advisor: Sinisa Dovat, MD, PhD
Graduate Program: Cell & Molecular Biology

Thesis: (tba)

Description: Ikaros is a DNA binding protein, which plays an essential role in lymphocyte development, function, and homeostasis.  The loss of Ikaros function has been associated with numerous hematopoietic malignancies including both B and T cell leukemias.  In addition, deletions in IKZF1, the gene encoding Ikaros, that result in the expression of a dominant negative isoform is associated with resistance to current chemotherapeutic treatments and a poor outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  The goal of my project is to elucidate the mechanism governing Ikaros's tumor suppressor activities and understand why decreased expression of functional Ikaros is associated with high risk leukemia and drug resistance.

Cairns TM, Shaner MS, Zuo Y, Ponce-de-Leon M, Baribaud I, Eisenberg RJ, Cohen GH, Whitbeck JC (2006) Epitope mapping of herpes simplex virus type 2 gH/gL defines distinct antigenic sites including some associated with biological function J of Virol 80(6):2596-2608

Cairns TM, Friedman LS, Lou H, Whitbeck JC, Shaner MS, Cohen GH, Eisenberg RJ (2007) N-terminal mutants of HSV-2 gH are transported without gL but require gL for function J Virol 81(10):5102-11 Epub. Erratum in: J Virol. 81(13):7328. PMID: 17344290 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hughes DJ, Dickerson CA, Shaner MS, Sample CE, Sample JT (2011) Trans-Repression of protein expression dependent on the Epstein-barr virus promoter Wp during latency J Virol 85(21):11435-47