Biography

Education and Training

Memberships

• American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)
• Member, Camden Cancer Research Center

Awards and Honors 

New Jersey Health Foundation Research Grant Award (2024)

Research Interests

The major research interest of my lab is to develop novel therapies targeting gastrointestinal (GI)-related cancers, with a specific focus on pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET) and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). At our lab, we are committed to advancing the understanding and treatment of these challenging malignancies through innovative approaches and interdisciplinary collaboration. Central to our research plan is the development of a platform for the discovery and optimization of novel anti-tumor drugs. These drugs are designed to synergize with chemoradiotherapy by upregulating tumor suppressor and immunomodulatory genes, thereby enhancing the efficacy of treatment and improving patient outcomes. To achieve our goals, we employ a multifaceted approach that encompasses various scientific disciplines including protein biochemistry, cell culture studies, next-generation sequencing, xenograft animal modeling, genetic mouse models, and systematic profiling of patient tumor samples. The long-term goal of my research lab is to advance the field of GI oncology through the development of novel therapeutic approaches and the training of future medical leaders.

Current active projects

• Development of novel epigenetic therapy for PNET
• Development of novel NRF2^Mutant inhibitors for ESCC

Selected Publications

Zena Saleh, Matthew C. Moccia, Zachary Ladd, Upasana Joneja, Yahui Li, Francis Spitz, Young Ki Hong, and Tao Gao. Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Signaling Pathways and Epigenetic Regulation. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021331.

 Gao T, Wright-Jin EC, Sengupta R, Anderson JB, Mendelsohn CL, and Heuckeroth RO.  Cell-autonomous retinoic acid receptor signaling alters enteric nervous system development with stage-specific effects in mice. JCI Insight 2021;6(10): e145854.  https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.145854.

Wright CM, Schneider S, Smith-Edwards KM, Mafra F, Leembruggen AJL, Gonzalez MV, Kothakapa DR, Anderson JB, Maguire BA, Gao T, Missall TA, Howard MJ, Bornstein JC, Davis BM, Heuckeroth RO. scRNA-Seq Reveals New Enteric Nervous System Roles for GDNF, NRTN, and TBX3. Cell Mol Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2021;11(5):1548-1592.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmgh.2020.12.014.

Gao T, Mckenna B, Li C, Reichert M, Nguyen J, Singh T, Yang C, Pannikar A, Doliba N, Zhang T, Stoffers D, Edlund H, Matschinsky F, Stein R, and Stanger BZ. “Pdx1 maintains Β-cell identity and function by repressing an α-cell identity” Cell Metabolism (2014) Feb 4,19(2):259-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2013.12.002.