News

• 9 2016

  Paige Radtke has joined the lab! Scott Atwood

  Paige, an amazing master's student, has decided to pursue her master's work in the lab. Paige received her B.S. as a double major in Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she studied ESCRTs in Dr. Odorizzi's lab, an array of subjects as a Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow in Dr. Guo's lab, and organiods as an Amgen Scholar in Dr. Beachy's lab at Stanford University. Paige is excited to keep expanding her repertoire by studying primary cilia length control. Welcome to the lab!

• 7 2016

  Eric Tarapore has been awarded the GAANN fellowship! Congratulations! Scott Atwood

  Eric Tarapore was awarded the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) fellowship at UC Irvine. This prestigious award is part of an exciting new educational initiative that provides enhanced training in research and teaching for doctoral students. The primary objectives of the GAANN Program in the Biological Sciences are to recruit and retain talented graduate students, provide a graduate education and apprenticeship model that allows for rigorous and integrated research and teaching experiences, and prepare students to assume post-graduate leadership roles in biological research and education – a designated area of national need.

• 7 2016

  The lab has been awarded the Concern Foundation's Conquer Cancer Now Award. Scott Atwood

  Concern Foundation is an independent, volunteer-driven organization conceived in 1968 by a group of friends who wanted to make sure their dollars counted in the fight against cancer. Upon learning their dear friend, Beverly Wolman, was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the young age of 35, 15 Los Angeles couples had one goal: “CONquer canCER Now”, an acronym that exemplifies CONCERN’s mission to this day. They envisioned a larger-than-life event to recruit new donors – an event different in scope from what any organization had done thus far. From this notion was born the Block Party, which today has become Concern's signature fundraiser and brings in over $1.5 Million in one night to fund cancer research. Today, Concern Foundation has raised and granted $55 Million to cancer research and funded over 700 researchers worldwide.

• 6 2016

  Ledia and Stella have been awarded the SURP fellowship and Kevin has been awarded the UROP fellowship! Congratulations! Scott Atwood

  Ledia Tarabey and Stella Shamas were awarded the Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) fellowship at UC Irvine for the 2016 summer quarter. SURP provides funding for UCI undergraduates from all disciplines who are conducting summer research projects or creative activities under the guidance of UCI faculty members. The program offers students the opportunity to become immersed in a research topic for a full-time ten-week period, or the equivalent of 400 hours.
  
  Kevin Tan was awarded the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) fellowship at UC Irvine for the 2016-2017 academic year. The mission of UROP is to integrate undergraduate students into the research culture of the University by providing opportunities for faculty and students to work together on research and creative projects.

• 4 2016

  JAMA Dermatology published our collaborative work on ATO treatment in refractory metastatic basal cell carcinoma spearheaded by the Tang labScott Atwood

  Tumor resistance is an emerging problem for Smoothened (SMO) inhibitor-treated metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Arsenic trioxide and itraconazole antagonize the hedgehog (HH) pathway at sites distinct from those treated by SMO inhibitors. To determine whether administration of intravenous arsenic trioxide and oral itraconazole in patients with metastatic BCC is associated with a reduction in GLI1 messenger RNA expression in tumor and/or normal skin biopsy samples, five men with metastatic BCC who experienced relapse after SMO inhibitor treatment underwent intravenous arsenic trioxide treatment for 5 days, every 28 days, and oral itraconazole treatment on days 6 to 28. The primary outcome was the change in messenger RNA levels of the GLI family zinc finger 1 (GLI1) gene (HH-pathway target gene) in biopsy specimens of normal skin or BCC before and after treatment. Secondary objectives were evaluation of tumor response and tolerability. Of the 5 patients, 3 completed 3 cycles of treatment and 2 discontinued treatment early owing to disease progression or adverse events. Adverse effects included grade 2 transaminitis and grade 4 leukopenia with a grade 3 infection. Overall, arsenic trioxide and itraconazole reduced GLI1 messenger RNA levels by 75% from baseline. The best overall response after 3 treatment cycles was stable disease in 3 patients. Although some patients experienced stable disease for 3 months, none had tumor shrinkage, which may be owing to transient GLI1 suppression with sequential dosing. Continuous dosing may be required to fully inhibit the HH pathway and achieve clinical response. Read More PDF

• 3 2016

  Eric Tarapore has joined the lab! Scott Atwood

  Eric, a brilliant graduate student, has decided to pursue his thesis work in the lab. Eric received his B.S. in Developmental and Cell Biology from UC Irvine where he studied TGF-beta signaling in Drosophila energy metabolism in Dr. Kavita Arora's lab. Eric came from the CMB Program and is excited to work on phospho-regulation of zinc finger transcription factors. Welcome to the lab!

• 3 2016

  Tuyen Nguyen has been awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship! Congratulations! Scott Atwood

  Tuyen Nguyen was awarded a fellowship from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). The purpose of the NSF GRFP is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in STEM education.

• 1 2016

  Peggy, Kendall, and Stella have been awarded the UROP fellowship! Congratulations! Scott Atwood

  Peggy Chen, Kendall Kearns, and Stella Shamas were awarded the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) fellowship at UC Irvine for the 2015-2016 academic year. The mission of UROP is to integrate undergraduate students into the research culture of the University by providing opportunities for faculty and students to work together on research and creative projects. UROP helps support both the research mission of the University and its educational programs while promoting an undergraduate research culture at UCI. The program fosters collaboration between students, faculty, corporate entities and government agencies to prepare the undergraduate researcher for the challenges of tomorrow. By providing professional environments conducive to research advancement and career skills development, UROP provides students with unique opportunities to develop a wide variety of skills that will be useful in any future career or educational plans. By engaging students in research and creative opportunities, the program hopes to inspire in them a life-long passion for discovery and inquiry-based learning.

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