Karen Cichowski
凯伦·齐乔夫斯基
PhD
Professor of Medicine; Co-Director, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center NF Program医学教授；NF项目联合主任
👥Biography 个人简介
Dr. Cichowski is a leading molecular biologist studying the RAS pathway in NF1 and NF2. Her laboratory has uncovered mechanisms of merlin (NF2 protein) tumor suppression and resistance to MEK inhibitors in MPNST, identifying combination strategies to overcome drug resistance in NF-related cancers.
🧪Research Fields 研究领域
🎓Key Contributions 主要贡献
MEK Inhibitor Resistance in NF1 MPNST
Identified adaptive resistance mechanisms to MEK inhibition in NF1 MPNST, including feedback reactivation of RAS and compensatory PI3K/AKT signaling, providing rationale for combination MEK plus PI3K inhibitor strategies.
Merlin and NF2 Tumor Suppression
Elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which merlin suppresses tumor growth through inhibition of mTORC1 and YAP/TAZ pathways, identifying actionable vulnerabilities in NF2-deficient tumors.
Representative Works 代表性著作
Feedback Activation of EGFR Mediates Resistance to MEK Inhibition in MPNST
Cancer Discovery (2018)
Defined EGFR-mediated adaptive resistance as a key mechanism limiting MEK inhibitor efficacy in NF1 MPNST, identifying rational combination strategies to improve therapeutic outcomes.
Merlin Controls the Hippo Pathway to Suppress Tumorigenesis
Genes & Development (2015)
Established that merlin loss activates YAP/TAZ oncogenic effectors in NF2-deficient tumors, uncovering a new therapeutic vulnerability exploitable by Hippo pathway inhibitors.
🏆Awards & Recognition 奖项与荣誉
📄Data Sources 数据来源
Last updated: 2026-01-15 | All information from publicly available academic sources
Related Experts 相关专家
Bing Ren
University of California San Diego, Ludwig Cancer Research
Cigall Kadoch
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute / Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Luciano Di Croce
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona
Alexander Meissner
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin
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