Profiles

Courses Taught

• Molecular Genetics (Course Co-Director)
• Applied Biostatistics & Bioinformatics (Bioinformatics Module Course Director)
• Molecules to Cells
• Molecular & Cellular Techniques
• Laboratory Management (Course Director)
• Special Topics: MicroRNA Networks in Cancer & Metastasis (Course Director)
• On-Line Journal Club (Course Co-Director)
• Foundational Sciences I (M1 course)

Graduate Education

• M.S. in Biotechnology, Johns Hopkins University
• Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Postdoctoral Education

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Yale University

Lab Location

Lester Hall, Room 421

Research Interests

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of male-cancer related deaths in the United States. The Tidewater/ Hampton Roads region surrounding our institution is particularly affected and possesses one of the highest PCa mortality rates in the nation. The overarching goal of our research is to develop novel RNA-based diagnostic and therapeutic tools for aggressive forms of prostate cancer in order to increase patient survivorship. My lab focuses on noncoding RNAs, primarily of the microRNAs (miRNAs) class, as we aim to understand how these RNAs direct cancer progression pathways using mouse cancer models, mammalian cell culture assays, and human tissue profiling. We are currently testing if targeted inactivation of certain prostate tumor-promoting oncomiRs (i.e. miR-888 cluster) using novel antimir reagents (RNA aptamers, pHLIP) can be developed as an effective strategy to reduce prostate tumor load and block metastasis. Our lab is also studying how post-transcriptional modifications (i.e., glycosylation) of noncoding RNAs influence cell-cell signaling and cancer progression. A newer project in my lab focuses on characterizing the bioactive noncoding RNA components of human milk and profile the expression of exosome-derived immuno-miRNAs (immune response-associated miRNAs) in order to develope these as novel diagnostic screening tools for viral infection and other human disorders. Finally, my lab is very interested in using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) animal model to study how small noncoding RNAs (i.e. let-7 and lin-4 families) control developmental events and determine how these conserved pathways relate to cancer progression in mammals. Taken together, translation of these studies into deliverable clinical tools will expand treatment options for human diseases such as cancer.

Keywords: Noncoding RNAs, microRNA (miRNA), RNA diagnostics, RNA therapeutics, antimir reagents, glycosylated RNAs, microvesicle/exosome transport, prostate cancer

Relevant Publications

• Chambers, C., Quan, L., Yi, G., and Esquela-Kerscher, A. (2022) CRISPR-gene editing tool for microRNA cluster network analysis. J. Vis. Exp. (182), e63704, doi:10.3791/63704. [PMID: 35532260]
• Liyanage, T., Alharbi, B., Quan, L., Esquela-Kerscher, A., and Slaughter, G. (2022). Plasmonic-Based Biosensor for the Early Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer. ACS Omega 2022 Jan5;7(2):2411-2418. [PMID: 35071928,  PMCID: PMC8771705]
• Hasegawa, T., Glavich, G.J., Pahuski, M., Short, A., Semmes, O.J., Yang, L., Galkin, V., Drake, R., and Esquela-Kerscher, A. (2018) Characterization and evidence of the miR-888 cluster as a novel cancer network in prostate. Mol Cancer Res. Apr;16(4):669-681. [PMID: 29330297, PMC5882523]
• Lewis, H. Lance, R., Troyer, D., Beydoun, H., Hadley, M., Orians, J., Benzine, T., Madric, K., Semmes, J., Drake, R., and Esquela-Kerscher, A. (2014) miR-888 is an expressed prostatic secretions-derived microRNA that promotes prostate cell growth and migration. Cell Cycle. Jan 15;13(2):227-39. [PMID: 24200968, PMCID: PMC3906240] 
• Esquela-Kerscher, A., Trang, P., Wiggins,J.F., Patrawala, L., Cheng, A., Ford, L., Weidhaas, J.B., Brown, D., Bader, A.G., and Slack, F.J. (2008). The let-7 microRNA reduces tumor growth in mouse models of lung cancer. Cell Cycle. Mar;7(6):759-64. [PMID: 18344688]
• Esquela-Kerscher, A., and Slack, F.J. (2006). Oncomirs – MicroRNAs with a role in cancer. Nature Reviews Cancer 6:259-269. [PMID: 16557279]

Publication List