Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Professor of Cancer Biology
Associate Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology
jin.chen@vanderbilt.edu
Jin Chen received her M.D. in 1984 from Shanghai Medical College and Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology in 1992 from Harvard University. She pursued postdoctoral research at MIT and Vanderbilt University where she worked on gene trap mutagenesis in zebrafish and mouse embryonic stem cells. Her postdoctoral work led to the generation of mice deficient in EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase. In 1997, she became an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University, working on dissecting the role Eph receptor tyrosine kinases in breast cancer. Her laboratory performed pioneering studies on determining EphA receptor function in tumor initiation, metastatic progression and tumor angiogenesis. Dr. Chen is currently a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine, Cancer Biology, and Cell & Developmental Biology. She is also the Director of Graduate Studies in Cancer Biology. Her current research focuses on signaling mechanisms that convert Eph receptor function from tumor suppression to tumor promotion. Her laboratory is also actively investigating the role of EphA RTK in tumor-host interaction.
Dana Brantley-Sieders
Assistant Professor of Medicine
dana.brantley@vanderbilt.edu
Dana completed postdoctoral training in Dr. Chen's laboratory and continues her research program as a Research Assistant Professor working with Dr. Chen. Her research focuses on the role of EphA2 receptor and ephrin-A1 ligand in normal breast epithelial morphogenesis and in breast cancer. This receptor-ligand pair function in both tumor and host tissue, regulating growth and motility of tumor cells and tumor angiogenic responses from host blood vessels. She is currently investigating how EphA2 regulates expression of downstream target genes that promote tumor growth and angiogenesis, as well as how EphA2 cooperates with other cell-surface receptors to promote tumorigenesis and metastatic progression. The work combines data from mouse models, three-dimensional cell culture and co-culture studies, and molecular and biochemical methods to provide a comprehensive analysis of EphA2/ephrin function in cancer.
Guanglei Zhuang
Graduate Student
guanglei.zhuang@vanderbilt.edu
Lei earned his bachelor degree in Biology from Peking University in China, before he came to Vanderbilt IGP program and joined the Chen lab. He has focused on how EphA2 interacts with downstream proteins to regulate tumorigenesis and angiogenesis, as well as how EphA2 crosstalks with other receptor tyrosine kinases to promote tumor progression. Currently his project is to understand the role of EphA2 in tumor resistance to EGFR/HER2 inhibition.
David Vaught
Graduate Student
david.b.vaught@vanderbilt.edu
David is a fifth year graduate student in the Cancer Biology department. In December 2003, he obtained a bachelors degree in agriculture biotechnology from the University of Kentucky, where he focused on the role of the initiation factor eIF4e in tumor invasion and metastasis. Since joining the Chen lab, he has focused on EphA2 and its involvement in mammary gland development as well as the role EphA2 plays in breast cancer-bone interactions commonly seen in breast cancer metastasis to bone. The hope is to understand how EphA2 mediates interactions between cancer cells and bone cells responsible for degradation of the bone and possibly develop a therapeutic to target this potential interaction.
Meghana Rao
Graduate Student
meghana.rao@vanderbilt.edu
Yoonha Hwang
Research Assistant III
yoonha.hwang@vanderbilt.edu
Mike Tidwell
Student Research Assistant
m.tidwell@vanderbilt.edu
Former Members
NikkiCheng,
Graduate Student, obtained PhD in 2002
Currently Assistant Professor at University of Kansas
Yin Chen
Graduate Student, obtained PhD in 2004
Currently M.D. Renal fellow at Wash U in St. Louis
Wei Bin Fang
Graduate Student, obtained PhD in 2008
Currently Postdoctoral fellow at Stowers Inst. in Kansas City
Qin Lin
Postdoctoral fellow, 2000-2001
Currently Instructor in Micro. & Immunol. at VanderbiltUniversity
Monica Parker
Postdoctoral fellow, 2002-2005
Currently Assistant Professor at TravacaUniversity in Nashville
Renee Ireton
Postdoctoral fellow, 2004
Currently Grants Specialist at University of Washington in Seattle
