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Research
Myron Ignatius, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute
Soft-tissue cancers and tumors of the bone account for 12% of all pediatric cancers. One of the challenges in the clinic for pediatric sarcomas (soft-tissue and bone cancers) is tumor relapse. Tumors once treated are often deadly if they come back after treatment. Our laboratory is interested in studying relapse in Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a cancer of skeletal muscle where when the cancer recurs, it responds poorly. Even for survivors, treatment often causes health problems or other cancers later in life. The Ignatius laboratory uses a combination of model systems including zebrafish tumor models, murine xenograft assays and in vitro systems to discover and interrogate mechanisms driving relapse. We also have set up collaborations to model mutations seen in the clinic in zebrafish and cell-based models.
Dr. Myron Ignatius received his Ph.D. at Ohio State University in Columbus Ohio and did his Post-doctoral Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School in Boston. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Molecular Medicine, a Principal Investigator at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, and a CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research.
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Professional Background
Education
- 2008 - Ph.D. - Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology - The Ohio State University
- 2000 - M.S. - Biochemistry - The Maharaja Sayajirao University
- 1998 - B.S. - Life Sciences and Biochemistry - St. Xavier’s College
Appointments
- 09/2016-present - Assistant Professor - Greehey CCRI - UT Health San Antonio
- 09/2016-present - Assistant Professor - Molecular Medicine - UT Health San Antonio
- 04/2014- 08/2016 - Instructor - Harvard Medical School
- 05/2014- 08/2016 - Assistant in Molecular Pathology - Massachusetts General Hospital
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Instruction & Training
- 2009-2014, Research Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
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Research & Grants
Expertise
Zebrafish Cancer Models and genetics
Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma research
Stem Cell BiologyThe Ignatius laboratory is interested in understanding the effects of tumor heterogeneity on relapse and resistance to therapies in Rhabdomyosarcoma and other sarcomas. Relapse is a significant problem in the clinic where less than 40% of patients with relapse will survive their disease. Rhabdomyosarcoma is a pediatric malignancy of the muscle that is also the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children. Specifically, the Ignatius laboratory will study tumorigenic cell populations that self-renew and metastasize using a combination of zebrafish, murine xenograft, and human cell culture systems.
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Publications