Anda M. Vlad, M.D., PhD
Contact
Campus: Magee Womens Research Institute, 204 Craft Ave
Office: 204 Craft Avenue
Lab: MWRI B430
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Ph: 412 641 2985
Fax: 412 641 6156
Education
- M.D. (University of Craiova School of Medicine); PhD (University of Pittsburgh)
Academic Affiliation
- Associate Professor, Division of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences
- Director, MWRI Flow Cytometry Core
About Research
Dr Vlad’s research focuses on the biology and immunology of ovarian cancer and endometriosis. Ovarian cancer is the most aggressive gynecologic cancer. Endometrioid and clear cell ovarian tumors are thought to arise from endometriosis, a chronic, benign inflammatory disease characterized by the presence of endometriotic glands (and stroma) outside of the uterine cavity, at ectopic locations. Ongoing projects emphasize three major areas: 1.Identification of immune pathogenic mechanisms in endometriosis and endometriosis associated ovarian cancer using conditional mice. 2.Preclinical and clinical testing of novel vaccines and immune biologics with therapeutic and/or preventive potential in ovarian cancer and endometriosis. 3. Biomarker (including immune biomarker) discovery for early diagnosis and/or prognosis in human endometriosis and ovarian cancer
Selected Publications
1. Budiu RA, Diaconu I, Dricu A and Vlad AM. Modulation of human mucin 1 (MUC1) tumor-associated antigen in a syngeneic, transplantable, ovarian cancer transgenic mouse model. Biology and Therapy of Cancer Cell. 2010 June; (2): 11-21.
2. Budiu RA, Mantia-Smaldone G, Elishaev E, Chu T, Thaller J, McCabe K, Lenzner D, Edwards RP and Vlad AM. Soluble MUC1 and serum MUC1-specific antibodies are potential prognostic biomarkers for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2011 Jul; 60(7):975-84. PMID: 21461842. 11. Flint MS, Budiu RA, Teng PN, Sun M, Stolz DB, Lang M, Hood BL, Vlad AM, and Conrads T. Restraint stress and stress hormones significantly impact T lymphocyte migration and function through specific alterations of the actin cytoskeleton. Brain Behav Immun. 2011 Aug; 25(6):1187-96. PMID: 21426930.
3. Zhang L, Vlad AM, Milcarek C and Finn OJ. Human mucin MUC1 RNA undergoes different types of alternative splicing resulting in multiple isoforms. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2013 Mar; 62(3):423-35. PMID: 22941036.
4. Budiu RA, Elishaev E, Brozick J, Lee M, Edwards RP, Kalinski P and Vlad AM. Immunobiology of human mucin 1 in a preclinical ovarian tumor model. Oncogene. 2013 Aug; 32(32):3664-75. doi: 10.1038/onc.2012.397. PMID: 22964632.
5. Huang X, Vlad AM. Letter to the Editor. Plasma microRNAs in Ovarian Cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2013 Jun; 19(12):3326. Doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-13-1022. PMID: 23616635.
6. Oesterreich S, Edwards R, Vlad AM. News and Views article. “Progestins: Pro-senescence therapy for ovarian cancer?” Cell Cycle. 2013 Jun; 12(11):1662-3. doi: 10.4161/cc.25072. PMCID: PMC 3713123
7. Suryawanshi S*, Vlad AM*, Lin HM, Mantia-Smaldone G, Laskey R, Lee M, Lin Y, Donnellan N, Klein-Patel M, Lee T, Mansuria S, Elishaev E, Budiu R, Edwards RP, Huang X. (*Authors with equal contributions). Plasma microRNAs as novel biomarkers for endometriosis and endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer. Clinical Cancer Research 2013 Mar; 19(5):1213-24. PMID: 23362326. Manuscript recommended to F1000Prime by Faculty of F1000 “as being of special significance in its field”.
8. Parikh RA, Appleman LJ Bauman JE, Sankunny M, Lewis DW, Vlad AM, Gollin SM. Upregulation of the ATR-CHEK1 pathway in oral squamous cell carcinomas. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 2014 Jan; 53(1):25-37. doi: 101002/gcc.22115. PMID: 24142626
9. Tirodkar TS, Budiu RA, Elishaev E, Zhang L, Mony JT, Brozick J, Edwards RP and. Vlad AM. MUC1 positive, Kras and Pten driven mouse gynecologic tumors replicate human tumors and vary in survival and nuclear grade based on anatomical location. PLoS One 2014 Jul 31;9(7):e102409. doi: 10.137. PMID: 25078979
10. Suryawanshi S, Huang X, Elishaev E, Budiu RA, Zhang L, Kim S, Donnellan N, Mantia-Smaldone G, Ma T, Tseng G, Lee T, Mansuria S, Edwards RE and Vlad AM. Complement Pathway is Frequently Altered in Endometriosis and Endometriosis-Associated Ovarian Cancer. Clinical Cancer Research Oct 2014, PMID: 25294912
Courses Taught
- Research Basis of Medical Knowledge (RBMK)
Research Interests
- Ovarian cancer biology, MUC1 vaccines, immune checkpoint, immunotherapy