Winter 2025
Jan. 31, 2025
Core Values and Opening Statement:
Welcome to the seventh edition of our faculty newsletter, Connect. This triannual newsletter disseminates content for the faculty, from the faculty. Our goal is to update, inform and enrich our faculty community. Connect strives to contain links to resources, upcoming events and more. As we engage each day in the School of Medicine’s mission, we bring with us our core values to create and maintain a culture of mutual respect with a genuine awareness of belonging for all faculty. Send questions, comments, content ideas and faculty news to SOMfacultyconnect@wayne.edu.
Did you miss a previous issue of Connect? Find previous issues.
Meet – Department of Oncology
The Department of Oncology is chaired by Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D. who also serves as president and chief executive officer of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. Larry Matherly, Ph.D., serves as associate center director for Basic Science. Learn more from Oncology faculty on their views of the department’s research strengths, faculty expertise and collaborations at the bottom of this newsletter.
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| Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D. | Larry Matherly, Ph.D. |
For more information about the department visit Department of Oncology.
New Faculty Hires
Welcome to our School of Medicine community! According to the Office of Faculty Affairs, these faculty have joined the Wayne State University School of Medicine since mid-August:
Clinical:
- Sunil Jaiman, M.D., Pathology
- Kalyan Yarraguntla, M.D., Neurology
- Jose Larios, M.D.,Oncology
- Janaki Patel, M.D.,Oncology
- Lara Sucheston-Campbell, Ph.D., Oncology
Research & Teaching:
- Meser Ali, Ph.D., Oncology
- Azeddine Atfi, Ph.D., Oncology
- Jongwha Chang, Ph.D., Internal Medicine
- Husain Khan, Ph.D., Oncology
- Michael Landowski, Ph.D., Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
- Alyson Sujkowski, Ph.D., Pharmacology
- Jennifer Vranish, Ph.D., Physiology/Ophthalmology, Visual and Anatomical Sciences
If you see them in the hallway, we hope you have a chance to say hello!
Events
Mark your calendars for these campus events and important dates!
- Graduate School Graduate Research Symposium, Feb. 26
- School of Medicine Medical Student Research Symposium, March 7
- Cancer Biology Research Symposium, March 7
Reminder: Most summer undergraduate programs have deadlines in early February. Check with your department/division to see what’s available.
Do you know of other events that should be shared? Email the Connect team for events in an upcoming issue at SOMfacultyconnect@wayne.edu.
Coffee Hour
Ready to connect with faculty? Our team still hosts coffee hours the fourth Wednesdays of every month from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Grab a coffee, meet colleagues, engage in casual conversation and just Connect!
Meet – Department of Oncology
What are the major research areas of your department?
The Department of Oncology includes a broad range of basic and translational research in cancer biology involving drug discovery, cancer immunology and population science, including cancer disparities. The department is closely integrated with the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, which includes world-class cancer physicians, researchers and educators in programs that advance our knowledge of cancer. Examples of major research topics in the department are as follows:
Clinical research is conducted through more than 300 clinical trials at Karmanos, including one of the nation’s leading Phase I programs.
Population studies research provides a quantitative investigation of cancer etiology and therapy and its determinants in defined populations. A unique focus is on ethnic attitudes and biases, and how real or perceived cultural differences among minority-group patients impede effective communication and decision-making in doctor-patient interactions.
Tumor biology and microenvironment research involves identifying and exploiting the cellular and molecular determinants that drive and facilitate the interaction between the tumor and its microenvironment, and development of innovative diagnosis and treatment strategies to ultimately eradicate invasive and metastatic cancer. An emphasis is on novel genetic, epigenetic and signaling pathways and their roles in tumorigenicity, tumor plasticity and tumor drug response. Additional studies focus on the molecular determinants of cancer metastasis and host immune responses related to tumor progression with the goal of identifying adaptive cellular and humoral immune responses as therapeutic targets.
Molecular therapeutics research translates laboratory findings to the clinic to improve the lives of patients with cancer by identifying new molecules, targets and strategies for treating cancer. The overriding goal is to integrate basic and translational studies broadly in the areas of drug development, new or established therapeutic targets or pathways, and cellular and genetic biomarkers of cancer, with physicians conducting interventional treatment trials at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. An extension of this involves molecular imaging research, which includes development and testing of new imaging methods for cancer. These include preclinical studies on the synthesis of new probes, and development of new imaging approaches to detect cancer, and to guide treatment and monitor therapy.
What collaborations occur within your department?
We actively encourage collaborations between our basic scientists and clinical faculty, and among basic science faculty and between basic and population faculty. Two examples are:
Anna Gottschlich, M.P.H., Ph.D., assistant professor of Oncology, and Michael Wilson, Ph.D., assistant professor of Oncology, are studying the impact of alterations in the putative tumor suppressor and histone methyltransferase KMT2C in the endometrial epithelium of high-grade serous endometrial cancer, which disproportionately affects African American patients. The goal is to identify novel therapeutic opportunities.
Guojun Wu, Ph.D., professor of Oncology, and Heather Gibson, Ph.D., assistant professor of Oncology, are investigating the relationship between epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, and the immunosuppressive function of triple-negative breast cancer cells. The focus is on the RNA-binding motif single-stranded interacting protein 3, or RBMS3, and EMT in maintaining mesenchymal status and motility properties of breast cancer cells, as well as controlling a group of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The results of this study will provide insight into the mechanism of breast cancer progression and lay the foundation for establishing the RBMS3 as a new therapeutic target.
What collaborations occur with other departments/divisions/universities?
Oncology investigators are collaborating with faculty throughout WSU, including in the departments of Chemistry, Pathology, Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences. There are numerous collaborations both domestically and internationally. Two examples:
Yubin Ge, Ph.D., professor of Oncology, and Jeffery Taub, M.D., professor of Pediatrics, are investigating the basis by which children with Down syndrome have a significantly higher risk of developing acute leukemias compared to non-DS children. An additional goal of this research is to determine the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in therapeutic responses and to enhance the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disproportionately high cure rates of children with Down syndrome who have acute myeloid leukemia.
Asfar Azmi, Ph.D., professor of Oncology, and Bassel El-Rayes, M.D., professor of Medicine - Hematology and Oncology at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, are studying the role of targeting p21-activated kinase 4-nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase signaling in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors to identify novel biomarkers and new therapies for this devastating disease.
What should other faculty know about your department’s expertise to collaborate more?
Our faculty have a long history of collaboration both within and outside the cancer space, and offer a broad range of expertise.
What is unique about your department’s teaching?
Teaching in the Department of Oncology involves both didactic and non-didactic teaching. Primary didactic teaching involves graduate programs in Cancer Biology and Medical Physics.
Teaching in the Graduate program in Cancer Biology immerses Ph.D., M.D.-Ph.D. and M.S. students in a broad multidisciplinary curriculum that spans basic principles of cancer biology etiology and therapy. The curriculum includes extensive opportunities for developing skills in critical thinking, and written and oral communication, with extensive interactions with basic and clinical scientists. In addition to traditional classroom learning, there are additional educational opportunities available to our students, including seminars by nationally and internationally renowned cancer biologists, fellowship and grant-writing courses, and research workshops. Upon graduation, students in Cancer Biology have pursued a wide range of careers in academia, industry and government throughout the United States.
The Wayne State University graduate program in Medical Physics is among the most established and prestigious programs of its type in North America. Students are trained in a clinical environment and work with the same equipment used by the professional Medical Physics staff to treat patients in our affiliated Radiology and Radiation Oncology departments. Students have ample access to world-class faculty and state-of-the-art clinical and laboratory facilities. Graduates are well prepared to enter clinical service and become board certified by the American Board of Radiology.
What makes your department great?
There is a strong commitment to the mission of diagnosing and treating cancer, which interfaces with the outstanding clinical and research infrastructure of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.
The cancer focus is comprehensive, and encompasses etiology, epidemiology and prevention; early detection (particularly focused on minority populations); basic and translational research; clinical care (based upon multidisciplinary teams); and clinical research (including investigator-initiated and cooperative group clinical trials), as well as community outreach.
What makes your staff great?
Our outstanding faculty and staff have an unmatched commitment to the mission of diagnosing and treating cancer.
Visit the Department of Oncology for more information.
Do you have questions for the dean or other faculty? Questions about faculty, research and resources, training and education?
Have an idea for our newsletter? Contact us at SOMfacultyconnect@wayne.edu.
