Biography

I have received PhD in molecular biology at Moscow University under a mentorship of Professor Alexei A. Bogdanov, a member of Russian Academy of Sciences. In my thesis work, I have done a pioneering work on the three-dimensional architecture of the mRNA-ribosome complex using FRET (fluorescence energy transfer). I have received postdoctoral training in cellular and molecular biology of oncogenes with Dr. Tom Curran at St. Jude Children’s Hospital and in breast cancer biology with Dr. Carlos Arteaga at Vanderbilt University. After moving to a faculty position at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, my research expanded to the genetic and epigenetic events of cancer progression and metastasis. My group has contributed to understanding of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion and bone metastasis, as well as to the control of cellular metabolic pathways such as glutathione metabolism and oxidative stress in response to transforming growth factor beta. The current work is concentrated on the mechanisms of cancer progression and recurrence in aggressive breast and ovarian cancers.