Eva Shrestha, B.A. is a graduate student in the Sfanos lab.
Our new study, recently published in The Journal of Urology, examines differences in the urinary microbiome in men with and without prostate cancer.
We would like to thank the V Foundation for Cancer Research, the Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation for their ongoing support of our urinary microbiome studies!
Dr. Maynard highlighted on the JHU SOM Pathology departmental website.
Dr. Janielle Maynard, a post-doctoral fellow in the Sfanos lab recently began work on an Early Investigator Research Award from the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program. The Early Investigator Research Award program supports prostate cancer-focused research opportunities for individuals in the early stages of their careers. Dr. Maynard will be investigating the role of purinergic signaling and inflammation in prostate cancer racial disparities. Congratulations Dr. Maynard!
Tamirat Ali presents at the Johns Hopkins CARES Symposium
Sfanos lab summer intern Tamirat Ali participated in the Johns Hopkins Career, Academic, and Research Experiences for Students (CARES) Summer Symposium today and presented his summer project “The Role of P2X4 Receptors in Prostate Cancer”. Tamirat conducted his summer research under the mentorship of Sfanos lab postdoctoral fellow Janielle Maynard, Ph.D. Great work Tamirat!
The Department of Defense CDMRP Prostate Cancer Research Program recently highlighted the work of Dr. Angelo De Marzo, Dr. Elizabeth Platz, Dr. Andrew Goldstein, and Sfanos lab members in their 2017 Prostate Cancer Highlights. The article highlights work by Dr. De Marzo that, along with other pioneering studies from De Marzo’s group, implicated chronic prostatic inflammation as a risk factor for prostate cancer development, a recently published study led by Pathobiology graduate student Heidi Hempel that examined mast cells in relation to prostate cancer recurrence, and a recently published study by Dr. Goldstein that describes CD38 low progenitor cells in areas of prostatic inflammation. All of these studies were made possible with support from the CDMRP Prostate Cancer Research Program! The link to the research highlight can be found at https://go.usa.gov/xX5aW.
Several members of the Sfanos and De Marzo labs attended the Annual Department of Pathology Young Investigators’ Day today. The event features poster presentations from many of the Department’s graduate students, medical students, fellows, residents, and other young investigators. Congratulations to all who presented!
Dr. Janielle Maynard and Eva Shrestha
Eva Shrestha and Dr. Sfanos
Heidi Hempel and Onur Ertunc
We are so excited and honored to be awarded one of the 2016 Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge Awards to study the microbiome in relation to metastatic prostate cancer!
Sfanos and De Marzo labs, December 2016
L to R: Michele Fountain, Dr. William Nelson, Nicki Castagna, Stephanie Papadopoulos
Sfanos lab members read ” ‘Twas the night after grant submission “
It has been an amazing year! Looking forward to many discoveries in 2017!
We recently published an article in The Prostate on a multi-disciplinary study led by Pathobiology graduate student Heidi Hempel. Heidi has been taking a close look at mast cells (inflammatory cells that are known for their prototypical role in allergic responses) in relation to prostate cancer aggressiveness. Somewhat surprisingly, she discovered that low numbers of mast cells in a prostate tumor confer a higher risk of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. The link to the new study can be found here:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pros.23280/full
Sfanos lab members, family, and friends will be participating in the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s annual 5K fundraising event on Sept. 25th at Nationals Park. “Team Prostate” has been participating in the event since 2011. Visit https://www.preventcancer5k.org/teamprostate to learn more and to support the team!
