Eugene W. Gerner, Ph.D.
Professor, Cell Biology and Anatomy, Molecular Biophysics

Director, Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) in GI Cancer

Arizona Cancer Center
1515 N. Campbell Ave.
P.O. Box 245024
Phone: 626-2197
Fax: 626-4480
E-mail: egerner@azcc.arizona.edu

EDUCATION:

University of Texas, Houston, 1974 (Ph.D.)

HONORS/AWARDS:

-Led UA effort (1977-1989) to develop hyperthermia as a clinical cancer therapy. FDA approval granted in 1985.
-Chairman, University Committee on Cancer Biology, 1988-1992
-Radiation Research Society Research Award, 1988
-Visiting Research Professor, Univ. of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 1988
-Robert Magnin Newman Special Lecturer, University of California, San Francisco; Brain Tumor Research Institute, 1989
- Distinguished Alumnus, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas, 2003

- Salmon Award, in memory of founding Cancer Center director Sydney Salmon for leadership in cancer research, 2007
-Editorial Boards: Cancer Research, Radiation Research, International Journal of Hyperthermia

MAJOR AREAS OF RESEARCH INTEREST:

Cancer biology, cell growth regulation polyamines, stress responses, heat shock proteins, signaling pathways influencing growth and apoptosis in carcinogenesis, polyamine metabolism

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Babbar N, Gerner EW, Casero RA Jr. Induction of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) by aspirin in Caco-2 colon cancer cells. Biochemical Journal. 394(Pt 1):317-24, 2006.

Yerushalmi HF, Besselsen DG, Ignatenko NA, Blohm-Mangone KA, Padilla-Torres JL, Stringer DE, Cui H, Holubec H, Payne CM, Gerner EW. The role of NO synthases in arginine-dependent small intestinal and colonic carcinogenesis. Molecular Carcinogenesis. 45(2):93-105, 2006.

Gerner EW. Changing winds in the war on cancer. Cancer Biology & Therapy. 4(2):252-4, 2005.

Choi W, Gerner EW, Ramdas L, Dupart , Carew J, Proctor L, Huang P, Zhang W, Hamilton SR. Combination of 5-fluorouracil and N1,N11-diethylnorspermine markedly activates spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase expression, depletes polyamines, and synergistically induces apoptosis in colon carcinoma cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 280(5):3295-304, 2005.

STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH RESEARCH:

SPONSORED RESEARCH THROUGH MSRP:

Cary Schnitzer (MSRP 1986): "Development of an empirical mathematical relationship describing cell killing due to hyperthermia for different mammalian cell lines."

Ganaraj Bhat (MSRP 1988): "Role of catalase in cellular responses to heat-induced polyamine oxidation."

Dale Woolridge (AHA Fellowship 1993-1994): "Characterization of elF-5A interactions in human glioma tumor progression."
Steven Fiser (MSRP 1994): "Contribution of decreased SAM pools to programmed cell death in rat hepatoma cells."

Thomas Greenwood (MSRP 1994): "eIF-5A and its role in polyamine dependent apoptosis."

Hsiao-Chi David Wu (AHA Fellowship 1991-1992): "Analysis of adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene mutation in colonic mucosa of rats treated with dimethylhydrazine."

Last update:   6/15/2007