Sebnem Unlu

Dr. Unlu has extensive experience in teaching, mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, coupled with translational research expertise. Dr. Unlu's research focus is on identifying gene regulatory networks (transcription factors, microRNAs, signaling factors) in immune cells under inflammatory disease conditions like cancer. To achieve this, Dr Unlu will interrogate the genetic, epigenetic, genomic, lifestyle, environmental, and dietary conditions to design therapeutics and interventions targeting immunosuppression.

Medical Genetics, Graduate (part-time) 

Molecular Biology & Genetics (full-time, senior year undergraduate)

General Biology (full-time, freshman year undergraduate)

* 2020-current Whitetulip Health Foundation

* 2008-2010 American Association for Cancer Research

* 2008-2010 Women in Cancer Research (part of AACR)

Poster presentation at RCMI 2024 Conference. April, 2024

Poster title: Cooperative YAP/TEAD and NF-KappaB signaling in Prostate Cancer Progression

“Novel Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells” presented at Cancer & Bioinformatics Workshop 2016, Canik Basari University, Samsun, March 12, 2016.

“Identification of microRNAs in the damage-associated immune response: possible role in cancer?” presented at Pittsburgh Area RNA Club, University of Pittsburgh, December 4, 2009.

“Unique microRNA and gene expression signatures in DAMP-stimulated human PBMCs: implications for tumor-associated microRNAs”, 3rd poster award presentation, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Translational Research Cancer Centers Consortium, TRC3 at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, February 22, 2008.

“MicroRNAs are induced by mammalian purified HMGB1 in human monocytes”, presented at the AAAAI Satellite Symposium at the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) meeting in San Diego, CA, June 7, 2007.

“MicroRNA Signature of the Danger/Damage-associated Inflammatory Response to DAMPs” presented at the Clinical Applications of MicroRNA Analysis Minisymposium, UPMC Shadyside, Herberman Conference Center, May 29, 2007.

Enrichment of nonadherent prostate cancer stem cell populations using simulated microgravity bioreactor

Kezhan Khazaw, Sebnem Unlu, Abdulrahman M Dwead, Bekir Cinar

Cancer Research 84 (6_Supplement), 4303-4303

Cooperative YAP/TEAD and NF-kappa B Signaling in Prostate Cancer

Unlu S, AM Dwead, MM Al-Mathkour, ES Madina-Bandy, K Khazaw, CS Moreno, B Cinar

RCMI 2024 Conference, Bethesda, MD, April 2024

1.  Fazilet Duygu, Nurten Aksoy, Aysegul Cicek, Ilknur Butun, and Sebnem Unlu. Does Prolidase Indicate Worsening of Hepatitis B Infection? Journal of Clinical Laboratory Analysis, 2013 vol. 27(5): 398-401. PMID: 24038226

2.  Juraj Adamik, Kent Z.Q. Wang, Sebnem Unlu, An-Jey A. Su, Gillian M. Tannahill, Deborah L. Galson,Luke A. O’Neill, and Philip E. Auron. Distinct Mechanisms for Induction and Tolerance Regulate the Immediate Early Genes Encoding IL-1β and TNFα, PLoS ONE, 2013 vol. 8 (8): e70622. PMID: 23936458

3.  Siuwah Tang, Jillian Bonaroti, Sebnem Unlu, Xiaoyang Liang, Daolin Tang, Herbert J Zeh, and Michael T Lotze. Sweating the small stuff, microRNAs and genetic changes define pancreatic cancer. Pancreas, 2013 vol. 42 (5) pp. 740-59. PMID: 23774697

4.  Suda Tekin Koruk, Nurten Aksoy, Melek Hamidanoglu, Hasan Karsen, Sebnem Unlu, Hasan Bilinc. Activity of Paraoxonase and Arylesterase in Patients with Osteomyelitis. The Scandinavian Journal of Clinical & Laboratory Investigation 2012 vol. 72: 513-517. PMID: 22950624

5.  Sebnem Unlu, Siuwah Tang, Ena Wang, Ivan Martinez, Daolin Tang, Marco E. Bianchi, Herbert J Zeh 3rd, Michael T. Lotze. Damage Associated Molecular Pattern Molecule-Induced microRNAs (DAMPmiRs) in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. PLoS ONE. 2012; 7(6):e38899. PMID: 22745684

6. Lisheng Ge, Dejan Baskic, Per Basse, Lazar N. Vujanovic, Sebnem Unlu, Toshie Yoneyama, Andrea Sobo, Jie Han, Dragic Bankovic, Miroslaw J. Szczepanski, Jennifer L. Hunt, Ronald B. Herberman, Susanne M. Gollin, Robert L. Ferris, Theresa L. Whiteside, Eugene N. Myers, and Nikola L. Vujanovic. Sheddase activity of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha converting enzyme is increased and prognostically valuable in head and neck cancer. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 2009 Nov; 18 (11): 2913-2922. PMID: 19843672

7. James A. Listman, JoAnne E. Race, Nancy Walker-Kopp, Sebnem Unlu, Philip E.Auron. Inhibition of IL-1β Transcription by Peptides Derived from the hCMV IE2 Transactivator. Mol.Immunol., 2008 May; 45(9):2667-2677. PMID: 18308397

8. Sebnem Unlu, Arvind Kumar, Wayne R. Waterman, Junichi Tsukada, Kent Z.Q. Wang, Deborah L. Galson, Philip E. Auron. Phosphorylation of IRF-8 in a pre-associated complex with Spi-1/IRF-8 and non-phosphorylated Stat1 is critical for LPS induction of the IL-1B gene. Mol. Immunol. 2007 Jul; 44(13):3364-3379. PMID: 17386941

9. Nurten Aksoy, Sebnem Unlu. Increased Resolution of Macromolecules with Agarose Gel Electrophoresis Compared with Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis. Macromolecular Bioscience 2003 Sep; 3 (9): 482-486.

10. Jason A. Boch, Yasuhiro Yoshida, Yoshinobu Koyama, Nawarat Wara-Aswapati, Haibing Peng, Sebnem Unlu, Philip E. Auron. Characterization of a cascade of protein interactions initiated at the IL-1receptor.Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Apr 4; 303 (2):525-531. PMID: 12659850

11. Sebnem Unlu, Gerard Clunn, Michael Schachter, Catherine Demoliou-Mason, Alun D Hughes. Action of an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, lovastatin, on apoptosis of untransformed and ts-SV40-transformed Human Smooth Muscle Cells from Sephanous Vein. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2001 Aug; 38(2): 161-173. PMID: 11483865

12. Unlu S, Mason C Demoliou, Schachter M, Hughes AD. Perillyl alcohol, an inhibitor of geranylgeranyltransferase, induces apoptosis of immortalized human vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 2000 Feb; 35(2):341-344. PMID: 10672871

13. Shebnem Unlu, Catherine D. Mason, Michael Schachter, Alun D. Hughes. Interactions between HMG-CoA reductase inhibition and UVB irradiation on proliferation and apoptosis in SM1 smooth muscle cells (1998) Biochem Soc Trans 26 (4): S322. PMID: 10047836

14. Shebnem Unlu, Catherine D. Mason, Alun D. Hughes. Role of isoprenylation in the inhibitory action of lovastatin on proliferation of SV-40 immortalised human saphenous vein smooth muscle cells (1998) Biochem Soc Trans 26 (4): S324. PMID: 10047838

15.  Shebnem Unlu, Catherine D. Mason, Alun D. Hughes. Platelet-derived growth factor-BB inducesapoptosis in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells derived from human saphenous vein (1998) Biochem Soc Trans 26 (4): S325. PMID: 10047839

Kezhan Khazaw, PhD graduate student, Clark Atlanta University, July 2023 - current

Asia Castrillon, BS undergraduate student, Clark Atlanta University, August 2023- December 2023

Siuwah Tang, PhD graduate student, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, August 2006 - Oct 2011

Denise Asafu-Adjei, Undergraduate student, Carnegie Mellon University, Summer 2007

Thomas J. Sweet, Graduate student, University of Pittsburgh, Summer 2005

2021 Workshop on Spirituality, Religion and Health research partial scholarship

2008 3rd place poster award, “Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment”

(11th Annual Meeting of Translational Research Cancer Centers Consortium)

2008 Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) Advanced Immunology course travel award

2007 Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS) meeting travel award

1995-1998 Full-time international postgraduate student PhD scholarship, Imperial College, Faculty of Medicine, London, United Kingdom

Dr Bekir Cinar

Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

Center for Cancer Research & Therapeutic Development

Clark Atlanta University

O. Phone 404 880 8438

L. Phone 404 880 8827

Email: bcinar@cau.edu

Dr Philip E Auron

Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

Duquesne University, Pittsburg, PA

auronp@duq.edu

412-396-5657

http://www.scienceresearch.duq.edu/bio/biofac/pauron/

Omer Faruk Hatipoglu

Department of Pharmacology

Faculty of Medicine

Kindai University, Osaka, Japan

ofhatipoglu@med.kindai.ac.jp

0081-80-7882-0598

https://www.linkedin.com/in/omer-faruk-hatipoglu-3111153b

Dr Ivan Martinez

Associate Professor, WVU School of Medicine and WVU Cancer Institute

West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV

ivmartinez@hsc.wvu.edu

304-581-1934

https://directory.hsc.wvu.edu/Profile/38314