Distinguished Scientist Award Recipients
Anita Lal, Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
2004 Distinguished Scientist Award
Education:
University of Delhi, India, B.S. 1989, Zoology
Jamia Millia Islamia, India, M.S., 1991, Biosciences
University of Georgia, Ph.D., 1997, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Duke University Medical Center, 1998-2003, Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Gregory J. Riggins
-- Dr. Anita Lal
About Dr. Lal's Research:
Notch Signaling in Meningiomas
The brain tumor research community has largely ignored meningiomas because they are perceived as being benign brain tumors. However, 10% of meningiomas are more malignant, some recur and sometimes, benign tumors occur in locations that are not amenable to surgery. Cancer results when a cell ignores normal signals to stop growing. Recent studies have suggested that cancer is triggered by the erroneous reactivation of signaling pathways that are normally only active during embryonic development in the womb, a period of active cell division. The Notch pathway is one such signaling pathway. During development, Notch signaling causes certain cells to remain immature and divide. Similar to its role in development, unregulated Notch signaling triggers the formation of cancer by causing continued cell division. We have preliminary data indicating unregulated Notch signaling in meningioma tumor development. In this proposal, we will investigate the consequences of disrupted Notch signaling in meningioma tumor development. We will, firstly, evaluate how Notch pathway components regulate meningioma cell growth in culture and as tumors in mice. Secondly, we will test the therapeutic ability of drugs that inhibit Notch signaling. And finally, we will use gene expression technology to identify new genes that are downstream targets of Notch signaling in meningiomas. These studies will significantly increase our knowledge about the molecular changes in meningiomas and potentially identify new treatments based on the unique biologic properties of these tumors.
Accolades:
"I give Anita my highest recommendation. She is without question the best post-doc I had the pleasure to work with in my six years at Duke�. Anita understands, and will do, what is needed to make a project successful. She knows what is important and is willing to exert enormous effort to focus on a project and bring it to completion."
--Gregory J. Riggins, M.D., Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
"I am highly impressed by Anita, and I am convinced that she will mature into an outstanding brain tumor researcher. �I must rank her among the many young investigators whom I've interacted with over the past 28 years at UCSF. She clearly ranks in the top few percent of this group, and I believe she is on the threshold of a very successful career."
-- Dennis F. Deen, Ph.D.
University of California, San Francisco
