Open post-doctoral positions at St Jude Children's Research Hospital.

I currently have two open post-doctoral positions due in part to post-doctoral fellows who had to relocate. Positions are competitive. Please send a CV and three letters of recommendation to my address email: martine.roussel@stjude.org

My research program focuses on identifying the genes and microRNAs within signaling pathways that govern the normal development of the cerebellum and formation of medulloblastoma, a malignant cerebellar tumor of childhood. Our long range goal is to define novel molecular targets that are “druggable”. Using molecular profiling of human medulloblastoma, we are creating mouse models that faithfully recapitulate the human disease and that can be used preclinically to screen for small molecule inhibitors as potential novel therapies for medulloblastoma. An overriding theme of our research is that cell cycle regulators, cyclin-dependent kinases and CDK inhibitory proteins control the timed exit of neuronal progenitors from the cell division cycle, while specific transcription factors, including Gli1 and Atoh1 drive proliferation and prevent differentiation, respectively. Altering the balance between pro- and anti-proliferative genes or between genes inducing or pr!
eventing migration and differentiation, might affect neuronal progenitors’ state of proliferation, migration and differentiation and predispose them to induce brain tumors.

Using state-of-the-art technologies, including molecular profiling, mouse models, orthotopic transplantation of marked granule neuron progenitors into the brain, small animal imaging, and targeted molecular library screens, the laboratory focuses on several aspects of cerebellar development and medulloblastoma formation:
1. To characterize the signaling pathways that regulate the differentiation and cell cycle exit of granule neuron progenitors in the cerebellum and identify small molecule agonists of these pathways.
2. To characterize microRNAs that contribute to medulloblastoma formation and tumor maintenance, to assess their relevance in vivo using loss of function in the mouse and antigomiRs and microRNA mimics in tumors, and to define their mRNA targets.
3. To develop novel mouse models of medulloblastoma, including Large Cell Anaplastic (LCA), the most aggressive form of the disease and to screen for small molecule as potential therapeutics.

Recent relevant publications:

Ayrault O, Zhao H, Zindy F, Chunxu Qu, Charles J. Sherr, Roussel MF. Atoh1 inhibits neuronal differentiation and collaborates with Gli1 to generate medulloblastoma-initiating cells. Cancer Res.
70:5618-5627, 2010. PMID: 20516124; PMCID: PMC2896438.

Gibson P, Tong Y, Robinson G, Thompson M, Currle D.S., Eden C, Hogg T, Poppleton H, Martin J,
Finkelstein D, Pounds S, Patay Z, Scoggins M, Ogg R, Pei Y, Brun S, Zindy F, Lindsey JC, Gutmann DH,
Boop FA, Sanford RA, Gajjar A, Clifford SC, Roussel MF, McKinnon PJ, Taketo MM, Ellison DW,
Wechsler-Reya R, Gilbertson RJ. Subtypes of medulloblastoma have distinct developmental origins.
Nature. 468:1095-1099, 2010. PMID: 21150899; PMICD: PMC3059767.

Roussel, MF, Robinson, G. Medulloblastoma: advances and challenges. F1000 Biol Reports 3: 5, 2011.
PMID:21655335; PMICD: PMC3100785

Hatten ME, Roussel, MF. Development and Cancer of the Cerebellum. Trends in Neurosciences,
34: 134-142, 2011. PMID: 21315459. PMCID: n/a. book chapter.

Kawauchi D, Robinson G, Uziel T, Rehg J, Gao C, Finkelstein D, Qu C, Pounds S, Ellison DW, Gilbertson
RJ, Roussel MF. A mouse model of the most aggressive subtype of human medulloblastoma. Cancer Cell, 21, 168-180, 2012. PMID: 22340591. Journal cover. PMICD: PMC3285412.

Gibson P, Tong Y, Robinson G, Thompson M, Currle D.S., Eden C, Hogg T, Poppleton H, Martin J, Finkelstein D, Pounds S, Patay Z, Scoggins M, Ogg R, Pei Y, Brun S, Zindy F, Lindsey JC, Gutmann DH, Boop FA, Sanford RA, Gajjar A, Clifford SC, Roussel MF, McKinnon PJ, Taketo MM, Ellison DW, Wechsler-Reya R, Gilbertson RJ. Subtypes of medulloblastoma have distinct developmental origins. Nature, 468, 1095-2010. PMID: 21150899; PMICD: PMC3059767.

Robinson G, Parker M, Kranenburg TA, Lu C, Chen X, Ding L, Phoenix TN, Hedlund E, Lei W, Zhu X, Baker SJ, Huether R, Kriwacki R, Curley N, Thiruvenkatam R, Wang J, Wu G, Rusch M, Hong H, Beckford J, Gupta P, Ma J, Easton J, Pounds S, Zhao D, Gajjar A, Kawauchi D, Roussel MF, Finkelstein D, Ellison DW, Ching C. Lau CC, Bouffet E, Hassal T, Gururangun S, Cohn R, Fulton RS, Fulton LL, Dooling DJ, Ochoa K, Mardis ER, Wilson RK, Downing JR, Zhang J, Gilbertson RJ for the St Jude Children’s Research Hospital - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project. Novel mutations target distinct subgroups of medulloblastoma. Nature. June 20, 2012. Ahead of print.

Martine F. Roussel, Ph.D.
Department of Tumor Cell Biology, Mail Stop #350
Danny Thomas Research Center, DTRC 5006C
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
262, Danny Thomas Place
Memphis, Tennessee, 38105
USA
Tel: 901-595-3481
FAX: 901-595-2381
Cell: 901-335-9511
Email: martine.roussel@stjude.org
Web: http//www.stjude.org/roussel

聖ジュード小児研究病院腫瘍細胞生物学部門では、意欲と協調性のあるポスドクを募集しています。癌研究の分野ですが、脳腫瘍を扱うので、神経発生学や細胞生物学、分子生物学の経験を持つ方も歓迎しています。
ご興味がある方、質問がある方は、まず下記まで気軽にメールして頂ければ幸いです。
川内大輔(daisuke.kawauchi@stjude.org)