• Director, Professor
  Natural Products and Experimental Therapeutics Program
  University of Hawaii Cancer Center

Degrees

• PhD, Pharmacology
  University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Research Focus

To develop novel anticancer drugs based on targeting signal transduction and apoptosis pathways. My laboratory is particularly interested in Stat3 signaling and its role in promoting malignant transformation and tumor progression. The main goal is to discover and develop small-molecule Stat3 inhibitors as novel drugs for treating human cancers that harbor aberrantly-active Stat3. Other drug targets of interests include Src and Jak tyrosine kinases. Research in the laboratory is also focused on defining the signal integration between the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), Src and Stat3 in the promotion of ovarian and pancreatic cancer phenotypes.

Publications

• Yue P, Zhang X, Paladino D, Sengupta B, Ahmad S, Holloway RW, Ingersoll SB, Turkson J. (2011). Hyperactive EGF receptor, Jaks and Stat3 signaling promote enhanced colony-forming ability, motility and migration of cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells. Oncogene. 2011 Sep 12. doi: 10.1038/onc.2011.409. [Epub ahead of print].
• Jaganathan S, Yue P, Paladino DC, Bogdanovic J, Huo Q, Turkson J. (2011). A functionalnuclear epidermal growth factor receptor, SRC and Stat3 heteromeric complex in pancreaticcancer cells. PLoS One. 6(5):e19605.
• Shahani, V.M., Yue, P., Haftchenary, S., Zhao, W., Lukkarila, J.L., Zhang, X., Ball, D., Nona,C., Gunning, P.T., and Turkson, J. (2011). Identification of Purine-Scaffold Small-MoleculeInhibitors of Stat3 Activation by QSAR Studies. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2(1):79-84.
• Shahani VM, Yue P, Fletcher S, Sharmeen S, Sukhai MA, Luu DP, Zhang X, Sun H, Zhao W, Schimmer AD, Turkson J, Gunning PT. (2011). Design, synthesis, and in vitro characterization of novel hybrid peptidomimetic inhibitors of STAT3 protein. Bioorg Med Chem. 19(5):1823-38.
• Kreuzaler PA, Staniszewska AD, Li W, Omidvar N, Kedjouar B, Turkson J, Poli V, Flavell RA, Clarkson RW, Watson CJ. (2011). Stat3 controls lysosomal-mediated cell death in vivo. Nat Cell Biol. 13(3):303-9.
• Avadisian M, Fletcher S, Liu B, Zhao W, Yue P, Badali D, Xu W, Schimmer AD, Turkson J, Gradinaru CC, Gunning PT. (2011). Artificially induced protein-membrane anchorage with cholesterol-based recognition agents as a new therapeutic concept. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 50(28):6248-53.

Publication list via PubMed

Active Grants

• J. Turkson, Principal Investigator
  NIH/NCI R01 CA128865
  "Therapeutic application of novel Stat3 inhibitors in breast and pancreatic cancers"
  2008–2012
• P.G. Gunning, Principal Investigator
  Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada
  "SH2 domain mimetics: inhibiting oncogenic protein-protein interactions"
  2011-2012