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Laura Soucek

Laura Soucek

Current positions

  • Head of the Mouse Models of Cancer Therapies Group,  reviewer for: BBA (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta), Clinical Cancer Research, Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy, Cancer Research, Developmental Dynamics, Drug Discovery Today, International Journal of Biological Sciences, Journal of Experimental and Clinical Cancer Research, Oncogene, Oncogenesis, Plos One, Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease, Molecular Biology and Evolution

Academic Qualifications

  • 2006-2011 Assistant Researcher Molecular Biologist at UCSF, San Francisco, CA (PI: Prof. Gerard Evan), USA
  • 2003-2006 Postdoctoral Fellow at Cancer Research Institute, UCSF, San Francisco, CA (PI: Prof. Gerard Evan), USA
  • 2002-2003 Molecular Biologist at IBPM (Institute of Molecular Biology and Pathology), CNR, Rome (Supervisor: Dr. Sergio Nasi), Italy
  • 2001-2002 Postdoctoral fellow at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCSF, San Francisco, CA (PI: Prof. Gerard Evan), USA
  • 2001 PhD in Genetics and Molecular Biology at University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
  • 1997-1998 Molecular Biology Fellow at the Centre for Nucleic Acids, CNR, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
  • 1996 Degree in Biological Sciences with Full Marks at University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.

Areas of Research

  • Myc inhibition and its validation as potential cancer therapy
  • Development of pre-clinical models of cancer therapy
  • Cross-talk between tumor and tumor microenvironment
     

Prizes and Scholarships

  • FERO Fellowship. Project: "Targeting Myc in tumors and microenvironment". 2011-2013. Role: PI
  • MIGUEL SERVET fellowship from FIS, Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo. Project “Inhibiting Myc and Myc dependent inflammatory response as cancer therapies” . 2011-2014. Role: PI
  • BEAR NECESSITIES PEDIATRIC CANCER FOUNDATION GRANT: Grant awarded to support an outstanding young investigator in pediatric cancer research. Subject: Modeling Myc therapeutic potential in vivo. 2009. Role: PI
  • AACR award “Future Leaders, New directions” for outstanding early-career scientists in cancer research. 2008
  • Keystone Symposia scholarship. 2007
  • Research fellowship from Fondazione Adriano Buzzati-Traverso, Rome, Italy: Competitive award for Postdoctoral students in Cancer Biology. Subject: The role of Myc as transcriptional activator and repressor. 2002
  • Post doctoral CNR fellowship, Rome, Italy: Competitive award meant to cover the salary of young investigators willing to gain research experience in a foreign country. Aim: Design of two different mouse models expressing a Myc dominant negative transgene, Omomyc. 2001
  • Research fellowship from Associazione Italiana Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), Rome, Italy: Competitive award for young investigators in Cancer Biology. Subject: Interfering with Myc effect on chromatin structure. 2001
  • Centro Nazionale di Ricerca (CNR) fellowship for PhD students, Rome, Italy: Competitive award for Students in the Genetics and Molecular Biology PhD Program. Subject: Design of a Myc dominant negative to be used in tumor cell lines. 1998
  • Research fellowship for graduate students from the Fondazione Adriano Buzzati-Traverso, Rome, Italy: Competitive Pre-Doctoral award in Cancer Biology. The main aim of this project was to investigate the dimerization specificity of bHLHZip proteins. 1997.
  • Agenzia per il DIritto agli Studi Universitari (ADISU) Recognition Award for best students in Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences, Rome, Italy. 1995

Most relevant scientific publications

  • Sodir NM, Swigart LB, Karnezis AN, Hanahan D, Evan GI, Soucek L. Endogenous Myc maintains the tumor microenvironment. Genes Dev. 2011 May; 25(9): 907-16
  • Soucek L, Evan GI. The ups and downs of Myc biology. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 2010 Feb; 20(1): 91-5
  • Finch AJ, Soucek L, Junttila MR, Swigart LB, Evan GI. Acute overexpression of Myc in intestinal epithelium recapitulates some but not all the changes elicited by Wnt/beta-catenin pathway activation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2009 Oct; 29(19): 5306-15
  • Soucek L, Whitfield J, Martins CP, Finch AJ, Murphy DJ, Sodir NM, Karnezis AN, Swigart LB, Nasi S, Evan GI. Modelling Myc inhibition as a cancer therapy. Nature 2008 Oct; 455(7213): 679-83
  • Soucek L, Lawlor ER, Soto D, Shchors K, Swigart LB, Evan GI. Mast cells are required for angiogenesis and macroscopic expansion of Myc-induced pancreatic islet tumors. Nat. Med. 2007 Oct; 13(10): 1211-8

All publications