Elizabeth S. Nakasone, MD, PhD
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Associate Member, Cancer Biology Program, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center
Academic Appointment(s):
Junior Researcher, University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Degree(s):
MD, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI
Residency, Internal Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Fellowship, Hematology and Medical Oncology, University of Washington/Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA
PhD, Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Research Focus
Dr. Nakasone is a physician-scientist specializing in gastrointestinal malignancies, pre/clinical translational cancer research, and early-phase clinical trials. Her interests are understanding the molecular and intercellular mechanisms that drive metastasis and developing therapeutic resistance. Dr. Nakasone's current research focuses on understanding how cell adhesion protein-mediated interactions drive metastatic dissemination and the development of therapeutic resistance. The primary goals of her work are to develop novel therapeutic strategies that can disrupt the metastatic process and overcome specific resistance mechanisms and are ultimately translatable to early-phase clinical trials.
Selected Publications
Nakasone ES, Askautrud HA, Egeblad M. Live imaging of drug responses in the tumor microenvironment in mouse models of breast cancer. J Vis Exp. 2013 Mar 24;(73):e50088. doi: 10.3791/50088. PubMed PMID: 23542634; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3639729.
Nakasone ES, Askautrud HA, Kees T, Park JH, Plaks V, Ewald AJ, Fein M, Rasch MG, Tan YX, Qiu J, Park J, Sinha P, Bissell MJ, Frengen E, Werb Z, Egeblad M. Imaging tumor-stroma interactions during chemotherapy reveals contributions of the microenvironment to resistance. Cancer Cell. 2012 Apr 17;21(4):488-503. doi: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.02.017. PubMed PMID: 22516258; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3332002.
Egeblad M, Nakasone ES, Werb Z. Tumors as organs: complex tissues that interface with the entire organism. Dev Cell. 2010 Jun 15;18(6):884-901. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2010.05.012. Review. PubMed PMID: 20627072; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2905377.
Publication list via PubMed
Active Grants
Elizabeth S. Nakasone
American Cancer Society
PF-22-162-01-MM
"Regulation of tumor cell co-operation and breast cancer metastasis by Nectin-4"
07/01/2023-06/30/2025
