Prof. Dinorah Friedmann-Morvinski

Our lab studies the mechanisms of cancer cell reprogramming and the contributions of the tumor microenvironment to this process. Using an integrative approach to study brain tumor (glioma)-specific neurobiology and oncobiology, the research in my lab currently explores the following directions:

• Examining the parallel changes in oncogenesis and the induction of pluripotency
• Elucidating the mechanisms involved in cancer cell plasticity
• Understanding the molecular basis of tumor cell heterogeneity and the contribution of the tumor microenvironment
• Identifying the molecular events involved in gliomagenesis
• Designing novel therapeutic approaches combining adoptive immune gene therapy and nanotechnology

Methodology:

Our lab combines cell biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, immunology, cancer research, as well as advanced genome-wide techniques and microscopy.

To recapitulate human tumors in a mouse model, we use inducible-lentiviral vectors to introduce oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes in a cell-type and tissue specific manner.

Friedmannn-Morvinski D, Bendavid A, Waks T, Schindler D, and Eshhar Z. “Re-directed Primary T-Cells Harboring a Chimeric Receptor Require Co-Stimulation for their Antigen-Specific Activation”. Blood 2005 April; 105(8): 3087-93.

Tomotoshi Marumoto, Ayumu Tashiro, Dinorah Friedmann-Morvinski, Miriam Scadeng, Yasushi Soda, Fred H. Gage and Inder M. Verma. “Development of a novel mouse glioma model using lentiviral vectors”. Nature Medicine 2009 January; 15(1):110-6.

Soda Y, Marumoto T, Friedmann-Morvinski D, Soda M, Liu F, Michiue H, Pastorino S, Yang M, Hoffman RM, Kesari S and Verma IM. “Transdifferentiation of Glioblastoma Cells into Vascular Endothelial Cells”. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 March 15:108(11): 4274-80.

Thales Papagiannakopoulos, Dinorah Friedmann-Morvinski, Pierre Neveu, Jason C. Dugas, Ryan M. Gill1, Emmanuelle Huillard, Chong Liu, Hui Zong, David H. Rowitch, Ben A. Barres, Inder M. Verma, Kenneth S. Kosik. “Pro-neuronal miR-128 is a glioma tumor suppressor that targets mitogenic kinases”. Oncogene 2011, Aug 29.

Agemy L*, Friedmann-Morvinski D*, Kotamraju VR, Roth L, Sugahara KN, Girard OM, Mattrey RF, Verma IM, Ruoslahti E. “Targeted nanoparticle enhanced proapoptotic peptide as potential therapy for glioblastoma.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Oct 18;108(42):17450-5. 
*co-first authors.

Friedmann-Morvinski D, Bushong EA, Ke E, Soda Y, Marumoto T, Singer O, Ellisman MH and Verma IM. “Dedifferentiation of Astrocytes and Neurons by Oncogenes can Induce Gliomas in Mice”. SCIENCE 2012 Nov 23;338(6110):1080-4. 
Comments in:
Glioma: tumor cells in reverse [Nat Rev Cancer. 2012]
Cancer. Can one cell influence cancer heterogeneity? [Science. 2012]

Salk press release
 

Agemy L, Kotamraju VR, Friedmann-Morvinski D, Sugahara KN and Ruoslahti E. “Proapoptotic peptide-mediated cancer therapy targeted to cell surface p32”. Molecular Therapy, 2013 Dec;21(12):2195-204.

Dinorah Friedmann-Morvinski and Inder M. Verma. Dedifferentiation and reprogramming: origin of cancer stem cells. EMBO Reports 2014