This summer, the Sfanos lab welcomed Tamirat Ali from University of Minnesota, who is conducting a summer internship with us, Lauren Peiffer, D.V.M., who joins us as a graduate student in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, and Borna Kassiri, a Johns Hopkins medical student who joins us as a Persky Fellow from the Department of Urology. Welcome Tamirat, Lauren, and Borna!!

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!

Prostate Cancer Foundation Announces New Recipients of 2016 PCF Challenge Awards to Promote Research in Deadly 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!

What an awesome experience to meet prostate cancer survivor Gary Newell and participate in the annual video for the V Foundation.  September is prostate cancer awareness month – it’s a great time to donate to amazing organizations like the V Foundation who fund early career investigators who are passionate about finding a cure!

See the video here: http://jimmyv.convio.net/site/MessageViewer?em_id=8743.0&dlv_id=20042

The collective Sfanos and De Marzo labs have really grown this summer! The Sfanos lab welcomed Alexia King from University of California, Riverside, who is conducting a summer internship with us, Dr. Janielle Maynard, a recent Ph.D. graduate from Baylor College of Medicine, who joins us as a postdoctoral fellow, and Sarah Galinn, M.S., a recent graduate from Towson University who is joining our group as a Research Specialist. Welcome Janielle, Alexia, and Sarah!!

Left to right: Dr. Michael Haffner, Dr. Angelo De Marzo, Dr. Javier Baena-Del Valle, Heidi Hempel, Corey Porter

Congratulations to Corey Porter and Heidi Hempel for winning research awards at the Johns Hopkins SOM Department of Pathology Young Investigators’ Day! Heidi won an award for Excellence in Translational Research and Corey won an award for Excellence in Basic Research. Congratulations as well to Javier Baena-Del Valle, M.D. and Michael Haffner, M.D., Ph.D. for winning research awards, to Dr. Angelo De Marzo for winning Pathobiology teacher of the year, and to all of the other awardees!