Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis

Websitehttps://cancer.psu.edu/research/programs/mechanisms-carcinogenesis

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United States

Organization profile

The Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis research program of Penn State Cancer Institute investigates the mechanisms of carcinogenesis induced by viruses, chemicals and environmental/dietary agents through basic research.

Novel carcinogenic mechanisms identified by the program are applied toward the prevention and treatment of human cancers in collaboration with the Cancer Control research program and the Next-Generation Therapies program.

Jordan Bisanz
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology - Assistant Professor
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- One Health Microbiome Center
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
20102025
David D. Boehr, PhD
- Chemistry - Professor of Chemistry
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
20002026
Margherita Teresa-Anna Cantorna, PhD
- Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences - Distinguished Professor
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
19902026
Kun-Ming Chen, PhD, MS
- Department of Molecular and Precision Medicine - Associate Professor
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
20042025
Neil Christensen, MSc, PhD
Person: Academic
19832026
Michael Creer, MD
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine - Laurence M. Demers Professor in Pathology
- Division of Clinical Pathology - Chief
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
19782026
Karam El-Bayoumy, PhD
- Department of Molecular and Precision Medicine - Distinguished Professor
- Penn State Cancer Institute - Associate Director, Basic Research
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
- Penn State Center for Research on Tobacco and Health
Person: Academic
19792025
Irina Elcheva, PhD
- Department of Pediatrics - Assistant Professor
- Division of Hematology and Oncology
- Department of Cell and Biological Systems - Assistant Professor
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- Penn State Neuroscience Institute
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
19982025
Esther Winter Gomez, PhD
Person: Academic
20062025
Krishne Gowda, PhD
- Department of Molecular and Precision Medicine - Associate Professor
- Penn State Cancer Institute
- Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis
Person: Academic
19992025

40 years later: Why do immune cells have vitamin D receptors?
Froelich, N. E., Tang, M. & Cantorna, M. T., May 2026, In: Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 259, 106971.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
A Chemically Inducible Multimerization System for Tunable and Background-Free RTK Activation
Zheng, Y., Fei, J., Chakrabarti, A. & Zhou, R., Jan 20 2026, In: Analytical Chemistry. 98, 2, p. 1328-1341 14 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
CD28-deficient mice are vulnerable to mouse papillomavirus MmuPV1 infection of the skin and mucosae
Brendle, S., Li, J., Lu, S., Schell, T. D., Kozak, M., Walter, V., Shearer, D., Place, J., Balogh, K., Casanova, J. L., Christensen, N., Burgener, A. D., Murooka, T. T., Zhu, Y., Béziat, V. & Hu, J., Mar 2026, In: PLoS pathogens. 22, 3 March, e1013968.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Chromatin state dynamics during the Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development cycle
Brown, A. S., Llinás, M. & Mahony, S., Dec 2026, In: BMC genomics. 27, 1, 142.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Circadian tryptophan metabolism contributes to systemic aryl hydrocarbon receptor activity
Morgan, E. W., Murray, I. A., Coslo, D. M., Patterson, A. D. & Perdew, G. H., Feb 20 2026, In: iScience. 29, 2, 114680.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Clinical Performance of a Novel Point-of-Care High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin I Assay
Wu, A. H. B., Mahler, S. A., House, S. L., Jortani, S. A., Creer, M. H., Rising, K. L., Bischof, J. J., Crystal, C., Headden, G. F., Apple, F. S., Harrison, N. E., Meltzer, A. C., Baca, J. T., Tiffany, B., Sochor, M., Pentecostes, G. U., Di Tullio, K. P., Gupta, M. S., Singer, A. J. & Januzzi, J. L., Jan 1 2026, In: Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine. 11, 1, p. 98-112 15 p.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Coenzyme A mitigates cystine-deprivation-induced ferroptosis by suppressing the iron-starvation response
Tan, M., Li, Y., Sang, L., Wang, M., Li, Q., Li, Z., Sun, D., Wang, X. & Yang, S., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: FEBS Journal.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Coordination of cell organelles to promote metabolon formation
Sha, Z., Pedley, A. M., Iles, T. D., Zhang, S., Staub, J. R., Zhou, R. & Benkovic, S. J., Feb 3 2026, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 123, 5, e2532504123.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
Correction: Three-dimensional Models of the Nasopharynx for the Study of Epstein-Barr Virus Infection (Bio-protocol (2022) 12:6 (e4365) DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.4365)
Ziegler, P., Reznik, A. S., Kitchloo, S. P., Wang, E., Lee, S. E., Green, A., Myerburg, M. M., Sample, C. E. & Shair, K. H. Y., Jan 20 2026, In: Bio-protocol. 16, 2, e5603.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

Open Access
Coupling intraoperative bioprinting and surgical micropuncture for synergistic scaffold vascularization
Yeo, M., El-Mallah, J. C., Horchler, S. N., Waldron, O., Asgardoon, M. H., Jikaria, N. R., Dawes, J., Landmesser, M., Sun, M., Ozbolat, I. T. & Ravnic, D. J., Mar 2026, In: Biomaterials. 326, 123711.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Open Access
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37 Active
206 Finished

Developing a bioprinted ventilated lung alveolar platform for investigating microbial interactions and influenza response
Oh, J. (PI) & Ozbolat, I. T. (CoPI)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
8/19/25 → 7/31/29
Project: Research project
Regulation of the cGAS-STING pathway by RNF11
Harhaj, E. (PI)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
7/7/25 → 6/30/27
Project: Research project
Leveraging Microsurgery and Bioprinting for Rapidly Oriented Vascularized Tissue Engineering
Ozbolat, I. T. (PI) & Ravnic, D. (CoPI)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
6/16/25 → 5/31/26
Project: Research project
The BD FACSDiscover S8 Cell Sorter for Flow Cytometric Sorting
Schell, T. (PI)
NIH Office of the Director
5/15/25 → 5/14/26
Project: Research project
REU Site: Integration of Biology and Materials in Chemical Engineering
Gomez, E. W. (PI) & Gnoh@psuedu, G. A. N. (CoPI)
National Science Foundation
5/1/25 → 4/30/28
Project: Research project
Carbon-Detected NMR Studies of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins in Promoter Proximal Pausing
Showalter, S. A. (PI)
National Science Foundation
2/15/25 → 1/31/28
Project: Research project
ZFAND6 regulation of mitophagy and inflammation
Harhaj, E. (PI)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
2/1/25 → 1/31/27
Project: Research project
Role of Y-family DNA polymerase Pol kappa in aging and Alzheimer's disease
Paul, S. (PI)
National Institute on Aging
9/30/24 → 5/31/26
Project: Research project
Phase Changing Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Deep Tissue Imaging of Cellular Immunotherapies
Medina, S. H. (PI), Kirimanjeswara, G. S. (CoPI), Slukvin, I. I. I. (CoPI) & Simon, J. (CoPI)
National Cancer Institute
9/10/24 → 8/31/26
Project: Research project
Flow Of Gene Expression Across Mitochondrial Condensates
Mahynski, M. (PI)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences
9/1/24 → 7/31/26
Project: Research project

Unraveling the controversial role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-β/δ in cancer
Peters, J. M. (Keynote speaker)
2016 → …
Activity: Talk types › Oral presentation
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors as molecular targets for the treatment and prevention of diseases
Peters, J. M. (Invited speaker)
2009 → …
Activity: Talk types › Oral presentation
PPARβ(δ)-dependent regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation and carcinogenesis: Studies from null mouse models
Peters, J. M. (Invited speaker)
2005 → …
Activity: Talk types › Oral presentation

Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching
Hussein, R. (Recipient), Stredny, E. (Recipient), Whitley, M. (Recipient), Mnatsakanyan, N. (Recipient), Raimundo, N. (Recipient), Zarnescu, D. (Recipient), Adams, N. (Recipient), Lanza, M. (Recipient), Kowalczyk, A. (Recipient), Travelute, C. (Recipient), Marco, C. (Recipient), Tondt, J. (Recipient), Anderson, A. (Recipient), Heron, C. (Recipient), Newman, R. (Recipient), Richard, D. (Recipient), Scartozzi, C. (Recipient), Dellasega, C. (Recipient), Akhtar, N. (Recipient), Albano-Aluquin, S. (Recipient), Chisty, A. (Recipient), Crook, T. (Recipient), Federici, E. H. (Recipient), Ingram, D. (Recipient), Lakshmanan, P. (Recipient), Mathew, A. (Recipient), Narayana, S. (Recipient), Prokop, A. (Recipient), Razjouyan, H. (Recipient), Tariq, A. (Recipient), Thompson, B. (Recipient), Thompson, E. (Recipient), Trivedi, N. (Recipient), Van Scoy, L. (Recipient), Wong, J. (Recipient), Allie, S. R. (Recipient), Browning, K. (Recipient), Evey, L. (Recipient), McLaughlin, P. (Recipient), Mamarabadi, M. (Recipient), Shankar, L. (Recipient), Bowie, E. (Recipient), Petfield, J. (Recipient), Whitaker, M. (Recipient), Aynardi, J. (Recipient), Allen, N. (Recipient), Cunningham, B. (Recipient), Gandhi, C. (Recipient), Jairath, B. (Recipient), Lutzkanin, K. M. (Recipient), Kerris, E. (Recipient), Nelson, A. (Recipient), Shook, J. (Recipient), Proctor, E. A. (Recipient), Raup-Konsavage, W. (Recipient), Romanoski, N. (Recipient), Graziane, J. (Recipient), Llorente, A. (Recipient), Nutting, S. (Recipient), Pinto, C. (Recipient), Yingst, J. (Recipient), Zhou, S. (Recipient), Mahase, S. (Recipient), Brian, P. (Recipient), Goldman, E. (Recipient), Maffie, J. (Recipient), Brahmbhatt, R. (Recipient), Fahy, A. (Recipient), Gish, J. (Recipient), Reed, M. F. (Recipient) & Tomasko, J. (Recipient), 2024
Prize
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching
Hollins, L. C. (Recipient), Nisnevitch-Savarese, Z. (Recipient), Read, S. (Recipient), Rossi, J. (Recipient), Royo, M. (Recipient), Sarraf, E. (Recipient), Shah, B. (Recipient), Moldovan, G.-L. (Recipient), van Riggelen, J. (Recipient), Shantz, L. (Recipient), Yengo, C. (Recipient), Booth, J. (Recipient), Bates, E. (Recipient), Schuster, A. (Recipient), Clebak, K. (Recipient), Daniels, E. W. (Recipient), Hays, A. (Recipient), Hemerly, N. (Recipient), Thompson, A. (Recipient), George, D. (Recipient), Evey, L. (Recipient), McLaughlin, P. (Recipient), Acharya, J. (Recipient), De Jesus, S. (Recipient), O'Leary, A. (Recipient), Wright, T. (Recipient), Cantore, W. (Recipient), Pantanelli, S. (Recipient), Millard, R. (Recipient), Updegrove, G. F. (Recipient), Choi, K. (Recipient), Darowish, C. (Recipient), Dooley, A. (Recipient), Hackman, N. (Recipient), Krawiec, C. (Recipient), Oji-Mmuo, C. (Recipient), Ryan, S. (Recipient), Shedlock, A. (Recipient), Tunks, R. (Recipient), Critchfield, L. (Recipient), Bellon, A. (Recipient), Dougherty, K. (Recipient), Lagman, J. (Recipient), Mahgoub, Y. (Recipient), Dreibelbis, T. (Recipient), Richie, J. (Recipient), Wang, L. (Recipient), Methratta, S. (Recipient), Chauvin, N. (Recipient), Deutsch, M. (Recipient), Kulaylat, A. (Recipient), Paulishak, M. (Recipient), Staszak, R. (Recipient) & MacDonald, S. (Recipient), 2022
Prize
Faculty Research Grant
Stahley, S. (Recipient), 2022
Prize
Junior Faculty Research Scholar Award
Hobbs, R. (Recipient), Graziane, N. (Recipient), Kwun, H. J. (Recipient) & Stine, J. (Recipient), 2018
Prize
Outstanding Collaborative Research Team
El-Bayoumy, K. (Recipient), Manni, A. (Recipient), Richie, J. (Recipient), Liao, J. (Recipient), Vanden Heuvel, J. P. (Recipient), Demers, L. (Recipient), Dillard, J. (Recipient) & Rogers, C. J. (Recipient), 2016
Prize

Cancer Institute, Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis

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