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Agne
Taraseviciute
Education:
University of Colorado-Boulder
B.A. Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and
Philosophy,
Magna Cum Laude, 2000
Honors/Awards:
Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Traineeship Award, 2005-2008
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Research Interests:
Currently, I am at the Institute for Medicine and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, which is where my mentor, Dr. Peter Lloyd Jones, has recently relocated to, investigating the role of tenascin-C (TN-C), an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, in the pathogenesis of breast cancer. In order to do this, I have analyzed over 300 breast cancer tissue samples to determine the exact locale and strength of TN-C expression. So far, I have found stromal TN-C expression in 90% of infiltrating ductal carcinoma cases. I have also set up a 3-D organotypic culture system making use of normal human mammary epithelial cells, which when cultured in a 3-D reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel), form spherical structures with a hollow lumen and recapitulate normal glandular architecture of the breast in vivo. I have found that in the presence of TN-C, the epithelial architecture of these structures is perturbed, and there is also a marked increase in proliferation. In order to quantify the dysmorphology observed in the 3-D cultures, I have begun a collaboration with Dr. Benjamin Vincent at the University of Bristol, in which we make use of active contours to model epithelial architecture and derive an objective measurement of roughness for these spherical structures through computational modeling. Furthermore, I am interested in determining the exact mechanisms by which TN-C is promoting cell growth and dysmorphology in the mammary gland, as well as whether it is involved in mediating breast cancer metastasis to the lung. I hope that the knowledge gained from my research can be used for future therapies, which target the extracellular matrix in disease.
General Interests:
Running around the city of Philadelphia and enjoying that big-city feel… Going to New York on weekends to catch the latest show at the Met. It has become one of my favorite places to go to and relax – take the train down, read some papers on the way, and think about research in a more artistic and creative way, that’s right! Oh, and during the winter I am doing some alpine racing for the UPenn ski team – got to live life dangerously when I am not in the lab!
Publications:
Latest Publications in PubMed
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