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Pharmacology & Chemical Biology Seminar Series
3/25/2021 - 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
“Mesenchymal PDGFRβ signaling in promoting breast cancer metastasis to the brain – insights gained from advanced mouse modeling”
 

Gina Sizemore, Ph.D. 
Assistant Professor
Department of Radiation Oncology
The Ohio State University
Comprehensive Cancer Center-James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute

Summary: Dr. Sizemore’s research focuses on delineating the key molecular drivers of breast cancer subtype-specific phenotypes with special emphasis on the contributions of the tumorigenic and metastatic tumor microenvironment. In searching for driver pro-metastatic pathways, the Sizemore lab uncovered a mesenchymal-specific receptor tyrosine kinase, platelet derived growth factor receptor-beta (PDGFRβ), which promotes breast cancer metastasis in the brain. Current projects are delving into how tumor-derived PDGFB (the ligand for PDGFRβ) mechanistically promotes metastasis to this distant site and whether pharmacologic disruption of this pathway is therapeutically efficacious for treating women with PDGFB-positive breast cancer.
 

Contact
Melanie Hoffner
412/383-7757
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