Our Science – Van Dyke Website

Terry A. Van Dyke, Ph.D.

Mouse Cancer Genetics Program Head, Cancer Pathways and Mechanisms Program Director National Cancer Institute at Frederick Building 560, Room 22-63 Frederick, MD 20892 Phone:   304-846-1988 Fax:   301-846-1290 E-Mail:   vandyket@mail.nih.gov

Biography

Dr. Van Dyke received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Florida in 1981. As a Post-doctoral Fellow in Dr. Arnold Levine's lab in the early 1980s, she characterized one of the first transgenic cancer models.

In 1993, Dr. Van Dyke joined the University of North Carolina (UNC), where she is currently a Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Genetics with a joint appointment in Biochemistry and Biophysics. UNC affiliations include the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Neuroscience Center, Program in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Carolina Center for Genome Sciences, and Carolina Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence.

In 1998, Dr. Van Dyke became the Facility Director of the UNC Animal Models Core Facility and in 1999, she established the Carolina Mutant Mouse Regional Resource Center (MMRRC), one of four in the country.

In the late 1990s, Dr. Van Dyke served as co-chair of an advisory committee to the Director of NCI on the use of mouse models to advance cancer research. This work led to the establishment of the Mouse Models of Human Cancers Consortium (MMHCC). Dr. Van Dyke continued to serve as co-chair of the MMHCC for more than 2 years with its inception and provided significant leadership in initiatives undertaken by the steering committee, including the establishment of a national repository for GEM mice, and internationally accessible database for mouse models of cancer and associated strains, and a web site for information including summaries of human cancers and mouse cancer models. Dr. Van Dyke continues to serve as a MMHCC PI, leading a multi-institutional collaboration on astrocytic cancers.

In September 2007, Dr. Van Dyke was appointed Director of the Mouse Cancer Genetics Program. Dr. Van Dyke is also the Director of the Center for Advanced Preclinical Research at the National Cancer Institute.

Research

The central goal of the Van Dyke lab is to study and understand the mechanisms and pathways to cancer development at many levels, including genetic, molecular, cell and organ biology. Because cancer can develop in over 100 distinct mammalian cell types, and does so amidst complex cell-cell and cell-environment interactions, we have utilized genetically engineered mice (GEM) as the foundation for our analyses. We have established several preclinical cancer models that have facilitated analyses of the tumor suppressors, p53, pRb, and PTEN, among others, including their contribution to normal growth control and the consequences of their inactivation to multi-step tumorigenesis. This approach enables a detailed examination of the molecular and cellular events in developing tumors - studies that are not possible in humans. We couple in vivo approaches with in vitro primary cell culture approaches to refine our discoveries. Projects in the Van Dyke lab have elucidated mechanisms of aberrant proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of cancer cells of multiple lineages in vivo. Studies are underway to characterize the chromosomal and gene expression aberrations that characterize these events. Furthermore, mechanisms of angiogenesis and invasiveness are being explored. In the process of these mechanistic studies, we have developed highly penetrant preclinical models for cancers of breast, prostate, and choroid plexus epithelia, as well as high-grade astrocytoma. These models are also being used to develop live animal imaging approaches to both characterize the disease process and to monitor preclinical therapeutic testing. Thus, the Lab utilizes a tool box full of modern technologies to approach the complexities of this aggressive and devastating disease.

This page was last updated on 6/12/2008.