Carlotta Glackin

Background

About Carlotta Glackin

I am an Associate Professor and member of the Women’s Cancers and Molecular Cellular Biology of Cancer (MCBC) Programs at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center For the past 25 years at City of Hope, my research group has focused primarily on the functional role of elevated TWIST expression in cancer cells with an emphasis on 1) understanding the mechanisms of TWIST-mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and 2) developing therapeutic agents to inhibit TWIST in chemoresistant cells (CRC) in ovarian and breast cancer. TWIST is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor critical to organismal development. Twist protein is aberrantly activated in many cancers, where it is expressed in CSCs and drives an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) event. It is thus the master regulator of EMT, which allows cell layers to invade and form mesodermal structures. TWIST-expressing cancer cells are able to migrate from their primary site and metastasize. This year, I and my group have developed a novel mRNA inhibitor therapy, MSN-HA-siTWIST, against TWIST protein, delivered by nanoparticle carriers targeting cancer stem cells (CSC) to reverse chemoresistance. When combined with standard therapy it significantly improves survival in drug-resistant ovarian and breast cancer patients. It is the first and only therapy to: 1) target and silence TWIST, the master regulator of EMT, and thus inhibit metastasis and angiogenesis; 2) treat chemoresistant TNBC and EOC when combined with standard chemotherapy; 3) specifically inhibit the EMT process in CSCs; and 4) be applicable to many other cancer types that develop chemoresistance in CSCs.