Our Science – Guedez Website

Liliana Guedez, Ph.D.

Cell and Cancer Biology Branch Staff Scientist National Cancer Institute Advanced Technology Center, Room 100 8717 Grovemont Circle Bethesda, MD 20892-4605 Phone:   301-443-4505 Fax:   301-435-8036 E-Mail:   guedezl@nih.gov

Biography

Dr. Liliana Guedez received her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the Central University of Venezuela in 1983. After receiving her MS Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology in 1987, she joined the Tumor Immunology Section, Surgery Branch at the NCI as Guest Researcher. In 1995, she received her Ph.D. from University of Florida College of Medicine, Department of Pathology in Immunology and Molecular Pathology; She also trained in Hematology/Oncology Division in the Department of Medicine. Dr. Guedez joined the Hematopathology Section, Laboratory of Pathology at the NCI as a Post-doctoral fellow in 1996, and became a Research Staff Fellow in 1999. In 2004, Dr. Guedez went to the Greenebaum Cancer, University of Maryland as Assistant Professor in Medicine; the same year she was elected member of the American Society of Hematology. In 2006, Dr. Guedez joined the Cell and Cancer Biology Branch of the National Cancer Institute.

Research

Dr. Guedez's research interest is the role of matrix metalloproteases and their inhibitors TIMPs in angiogenesis and tumor progression, as well as, the development and differentiation of angiogenic endothelial cells.

Dr. Guedez developed, the directed in vivo angiogenesis assay (DIVAA), a NIH-Licensed technology, for the pre-clinical validation of anti-angiogenesis therapy and targets in animal models, Am. J. Pathol. 162: 1431-9, 2003.
Background: During the last few years, the mechanisms of angiogenesis have been studied in great detail, in great part because of the recognition that the formation of new blood vessels may constitute a target for tumor therapy.
One of the problems of assessing angiogenic responses is the difficulty of obtaining reliable quantitative measurements of the process. A method for measuring angiogenesis that can provide reliable quantitative estimates has been long needed.
The technology DIVAA arises from this need and consists of the subcutaneous implantation into mice of silicone cylinders named Angioreactors that are filled with a very small amount of extracellular matrix. Vascularization in the Angioreactors is quantified by intravenous injection of FITC-dextran followed by removal of the angioreactors for spectrofluorometric measurements. The assay has a good range of sensitivity, is reproducible, and proved to be accurate for the analysis of effects of angiogenesis inhibitors. DIVAA may find wide applicability as a quantitative assay to determine the potency of agents that stimulate or inhibit angiogenesis.

This page was last updated on 7/31/2008.