Yana Zavros, PhD

Professor, Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Associate Head, Research
Professor, Cancer Biology GIDP

The Zavros lab studies of the mechanisms that drive gastric epithelial regeneration and Helicobacter pylori-induced disease using in vitro and in vivo organoid systems.  The lab has also developed patient-derived gastric and pancreatic cancer organoids from tumors and biopsies, which are used in personalized drug screens to predict individual therapy response.  Organoid/immune cell co-cultures and humanized mouse models are specifically used to identify the mechanisms by which cancer and immune cells foster an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.

Molecular Medicine Grad Program: 
Yes

Bibliography

2023

Mallick, S., J. Chakrabarti, J. Eschbacher, A. G. Moraitis, A. E. Greenstein, J. Churko, K. W. Pond, A. Livolsi, C. A. Thorne, A. S. Little, et al., "Genetically engineered human pituitary corticotroph tumor organoids exhibit divergent responses to glucocorticoid receptor modulators.", Transl Res, vol. 256, pp. 56-72, 2023 Jun. PMID: 36640905

2022

Chakrabarti, J., R. Pandey, J. M. Churko, J. Eschbacher, S. Mallick, Y. Chen, B. Hermes, P. Mallick, B. N. Stansfield, K. W. Pond, et al., "Development of Human Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumor Organoids to Facilitate Effective Targeted Treatments of Cushing's Disease.", Cells, vol. 11, issue 21, 2022 Oct 23. PMCID: PMC9659185  PMID: 36359740

2021

Watson, A. W., A. D. Grant, S. S. Parker, S. Hill, M. B. Whalen, J. Chakrabarti, M. W. Harman, M. R. Roman, B. L. Forte, C. C. Gowan, et al., "Breast tumor stiffness instructs bone metastasis via maintenance of mechanical conditioning.", Cell Rep, vol. 35, issue 13, pp. 109293, 2021 Jun 29. PMID: 34192535
Rico, K., S. Duan, R. L. Pandey, Y. Chen, J. T. Chakrabarti, J. Starr, Y. Zavros, T. Else, B. W. Katona, D. C. Metz, et al., "Genome analysis identifies differences in the transcriptional targets of duodenal versus pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.", BMJ Open Gastroenterol, vol. 8, issue 1, 2021 Nov. PMCID: PMC8576490  PMID: 34750164

2019

Bertaux-Skeirik, N., J. Centeno, J. Gao, J. Gabre, and Y. Zavros, "Oncogenic Transformation of Human-Derived Gastric Organoids.", Methods Mol Biol, vol. 1576, pp. 205-213, 2019 01 01. PMID: 27539460
Steele, N. G., J. Chakrabarti, J. Wang, J. Biesiada, L. Holokai, J. Chang, L. M. Nowacki, J. Hawkins, M. Mahe, N. Sundaram, et al., "An Organoid-Based Preclinical Model of Human Gastric Cancer.", Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol, vol. 7, issue 1, pp. 161-184, 2019 01 01. PMCID: PMC6279812  PMID: 30522949
Noto, J. M., K. L. Rose, A. J. Hachey, A. G. Delgado, J. Romero-Gallo, L. E. Wroblewski, B. G. Schneider, S. C. Shah, T. L. Cover, K. T. Wilson, et al., "Carcinogenic Strains Selectively Dysregulate the Gastric Proteome, Which May Be Associated with Stomach Cancer Progression.", Mol Cell Proteomics, vol. 18, issue 2, pp. 352-371, 2019 02 01. PMCID: PMC6356085  PMID: 30455363
Wroblewski, L. E., E. Choi, C. Petersen, A. G. Delgado, B. M Piazuelo, J. Romero-Gallo, T. L. Lantz, Y. Zavros, R. J. Coffey, J. R. Goldenring, et al., "Targeted mobilization of Lrig1 gastric epithelial stem cell populations by a carcinogenic type IV secretion system.", Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, vol. 116, issue 39, pp. 19652-19658, 2019 09 24. PMCID: PMC6765285  PMID: 31488717
Capurro, M. I., L. K. Greenfield, A. Prashar, S. Xia, M. Abdullah, H. Wong, X. Zoe Zhong, N. Bertaux-Skeirik, J. Chakrabarti, I. Siddiqui, et al., "VacA generates a protective intracellular reservoir for Helicobacter pylori that is eliminated by activation of the lysosomal calcium channel TRPML1.", Nat Microbiol, vol. 4, issue 8, pp. 1411-1423, 2019 08 01. PMID: 31110360
Holokai, L., J. Chakrabarti, T. Broda, J. Chang, J. A. Hawkins, N. Sundaram, L. E. Wroblewski, R. M. Peek, J. Wang, M. Helmrath, et al., "Increased Programmed Death-Ligand 1 is an Early Epithelial Cell Response to Helicobacter pylori Infection.", PLoS Pathog, vol. 15, issue 1, pp. e1007468, 2019 01 01. PMCID: PMC6380601  PMID: 30703170

2018

Chakrabarti, J., L. Holokai, LJ. Syu, N. G. Steele, J. Chang, J. Wang, S. Ahmed, A. Dlugosz, and Y. Zavros, "Hedgehog signaling induces PD-L1 expression and tumor cell proliferation in gastric cancer.", Oncotarget, vol. 9, issue 100, pp. 37439-37457, 2018 Dec 21. PMCID: PMC6324774  PMID: 30647844
Chakrabarti, J., L. Holokai, LJ. Syu, N. Steele, J. Chang, A. Dlugosz, and Y. Zavros, "Mouse-Derived Gastric Organoid and Immune Cell Co-culture for the Study of the Tumor Microenvironment.", Methods Mol Biol, vol. 1817, pp. 157-168, 2018. PMID: 29959712
Teal, E., N. Bertaux-Skeirik, J. Chakrabarti, L. Holokai, and Y. Zavros, "Establishment of Human- and Mouse-Derived Gastric Primary Epithelial Cell Monolayers from Organoids.", Methods Mol Biol, vol. 1817, pp. 145-155, 2018. PMID: 29959711
Teal, E., N. G. Steele, J. Chakrabarti, L. Holokai, and Y. Zavros, "Mouse- and Human-derived Primary Gastric Epithelial Monolayer Culture for the Study of Regeneration.", J Vis Exp, issue 135, 2018 05 07. PMCID: PMC6101118  PMID: 29782013
Zavros, Y., "The Novel Role of as a Regulator of Cell Homeostasis and Disease of the Gastric Oxyntic Mucosa.", Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol, vol. 5, issue 4, pp. 645-646, 2018. PMCID: PMC5924750  PMID: 29713667

2017

Zavros, Y., "Initiation and Maintenance of Gastric Cancer: A Focus on CD44 Variant Isoforms and Cancer Stem Cells.", Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol, vol. 4, issue 1, pp. 55-63, 2017 Jul. PMCID: PMC5439237  PMID: 28560289
Bertaux-Skeirik, N., M. Wunderlich, E. Teal, J. Chakrabarti, J. Biesiada, M. Mahe, N. Sundaram, J. Gabre, J. Hawkins, G. Jian, et al., "CD44 variant isoform 9 emerges in response to injury and contributes to the regeneration of the gastric epithelium.", J Pathol, vol. 242, issue 4, pp. 463-475, 2017 08. PMCID: PMC5591948  PMID: 28497484
Braune, J., U. Weyer, M. Matz-Soja, C. Hobusch, M. Kern, A. Kunath, N. Klöting, S. Kralisch, M. Blüher, R. Gebhardt, et al., "Hedgehog signalling in myeloid cells impacts on body weight, adipose tissue inflammation and glucose metabolism.", Diabetologia, vol. 60, issue 5, pp. 889-899, 2017 05. PMID: 28233033