Research Interests
Dana-Lynn Koomoa, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Administrative Sciences in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She is studying the interplay between signal transduction and calcium signaling pathways in the malignant progression of neuroblastoma (the most common extra-cranial pediatric solid tumor). Her research is being funded by an NCI R15 grant.
High-risk Neuroblastoma (HRNB) is an extracranial pediatric cancer in which up to 65% of patients are resistant to therapies. Recent biomedical advances have improved treatment options for cancer patients. Yet, there are no effective treatments for relapsed HRNB patients who have undergone treatment and experienced tumor recurrence. Our long-term goal is to develop more effective treatments that target relapsed HRNB.
A key feature of HRNB that drives disease progression is aberrant calcium (Ca2+) signaling. This offers targeted therapeutic potential for Ca2+ channel regulators. Other groups have made progress in creating and identifying Ca2+ channel inhibitors that may be used for cancer treatment. Our group is taking an alternative approach by targeting Ca2+ signals that are unique to relapsed HRNB. The proposed project will manipulate the elevated levels of cytosolic Ca2+ in relapsed HRNB driven by aberrant ion channels to promote mitochondrial Ca2+ overload and apoptosis.
The long-term goal of this research program is to obtain a detailed understanding of the complex interactions between plasma membrane, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondrial Ca2+ signaling. This may offer a new therapeutic approach for treating metastatic and relapsed HRNB, and a variety of other cancers. In addition, this work provides unique research experiences for undergraduate and graduate students, including those from groups that are underrepresented in biomedical sciences. Therefore, this work will train the next generation of researchers and increase diversity in the biomedical workforce.
Dr. Koomoa also has collaborations with other researchers involved in Natural products research, pharmacogenomic and epigenetic research, and indigenous health research projects.
