Associate Professor,
Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology,
Division of Gynecologic Oncology
The Victor and Ruby Hansen Surface Endowed Professor in Ovarian Cancer Research
Cancer Research Facility 223
University of New Mexico
915 Camino de Salud NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131
A new position is available for an experienced postdoctoral fellow in the Adams Lab in the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program at the University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Adams is a gynecologic oncologist with a research focus in ovarian tumor immunology. Recent work in her lab identified therapeutic synergy with the combination of PARP inhibition and CTLA4 immune checkpoint blockade in preclinical models of ovarian cancer. This work was translated to two clinical trials (NCT02571725, NCG04034927) led by Dr. Adams. Correlative studies have identified candidate biomarkers of response based on gene expression profiling of archived tumor samples from subjects enrolled in these trials. A protein of interest has been identified which is associated with membrane dynamics, and experiments are planned to investigate a potential role for this protein in lymphocyte function and immune regulation. This work is supported by NCI and pharmaceutical funding.
We are seeking an experienced postdoctoral fellow to develop and lead this project. The scope of work is expected to include analysis of patient samples as well as preclinical modeling in syngeneic and patient-derived xenograft cancer models. Experience with RNAseq, flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and imaging, and statistical methods is highly desirable. The postdoctoral fellow will also be responsible for data analysis and manuscript preparation and submission, as well as teaching and oversight of research technicians and students in the lab.
MD and/or Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, or a related field, ability to conduct independent research, and excellent written and verbal communication skills are required. Individuals with a strong background in cancer immunotherapy are encouraged to apply.
Please send a CV, including a list of three references to Dr. Sarah Adams. Please note “Application for a postdoctoral fellowship – ADAMS LAB” in the subject line.
To protect and preserve the health, safety and welfare of the UNM community, the University of New Mexico will require that all faculty, staff and students accessing University facilities and programs be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible, but no later than September 30, 2021. This mandate requires all UNM faculty, staff and students who access campus facilities, housing, programs, services and activities in person to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, subject to limited exemptions. (https://bringbackthepack.unm.edu/vaccine/vaccine-requirement.html)
Ovarian cancer is associated with a poor prognosis that hasn't changed significantly in several decades. Our lab is focused on tumor immunology and the development of novel treatment strategies for ovarian cancer. We recently demonstrated that PARP inhibition synergizes with CTLA4 immune checkpoint blockade in BRCA1 deficient ovarian cancer models. This work additionally identified cell-intrinsic mechanisms of therapeutic synergy, confirmed the induction of protective immune memory, and defined novel immunologic endpoints correlating with treatment efficacy and long-term survival. Based on the success of this regimen in preclinical models, we launched an investigator-initiated clinical trial in 2016: INST1419: A phase I/II study of the combination of olaparib and tremelimumab in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers with recurrent ovarian cancer, (NCT02571725, S. Adams, Principal Investigator). This trial was expanded to three additional NCI Cancer Centers in 2018 and completed enrollment in 2020. In 2019, a second trial was launched in collaboration with the NRG Ovarian Committee to test whether this combination is active in a larger cohort of patients and to isolate the contribution of the immune agent. NRG-GY021: A randomized phase II trial of olaparib + tremelimumab vs. olaparib in platinum-sensitive recurrent ovarian cancer (NCT04034927, National Study Chair: S. Adams). This study is one of the first NRG studies selected by CIMAC (Cancer Immune Monitoring Analysis Centers – one of the Cancer Moonshot initiatives) to perform concurrent comprehensive integrated translational analyses. The translation of our work to clinical testing has spurred ongoing mechanistic studies in the lab focused on understanding tumor-tumor microenvironment interactions that modulate the efficacy of tumor-directed agents.
Jaryse Harris. Jaryse is a medical student and joined the lab as a research technician in 2013. She has extensive experience using mouse models to conduct in vivo experiments. She started medical school in 2016 but has continued to come back the lab and is currently investigating how dosing schedules impact the efficacy of combined PARP-inhibition and immune checkpoint blockade.
Daniel Falcon, PhD. Daniel is a postdoctoral fellow in the Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award – Academic Science Education & Research Training (IRACDA-ASERT) program. Daniel has expertise in immunoregulatory pathways and autoimmunity. He is spearheading work investigating how regulatory T cell subsets determine response to immune therapy regimens, and how this is modulated by conditions in the tumor microenvironment.
Chelsea Gregory-Goff, BA. Chelsea is a research technician with extensive experience in the use of murine models for in vivo studies. She joined the lab in 2019 and is the point-person for all mouse experiments as well as ongoing clinical protocols for the collection and use of patient samples.
The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance has supported our work since 2011. The mission of the OCFRA is to promote, advocate for and support scientific research as it relates to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure for ovarian cancer; to provide education about ovarian cancer; and to foster alliances to further those purposes.
FORCE, Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered: The mission of FORCE is to improve the lives of individuals and families affected by hereditary breast, ovarian and related cancers.