Mara P. Steinkamp’s research focuses on targeted therapies for ovarian cancer treatment using patient-derived models of disseminated ovarian cancer.
Mara P. Steinkamp’s research focuses on targeted therapies for ovarian cancer treatment using patient-derived models of disseminated ovarian cancer. Dr. Steinkamp is particularly interested in targeting the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases that are co-expressed in ovarian cancer. The Steinkamp lab uses 2D and 3D bioluminescent and fluorescent in vivo imaging in mouse models to quantify disseminated tumor burden over time.
With our growing understanding of the role of tumor-associated immune cells in cancer growth and response to therapies, Dr. Steinkamp has characterized Ovarian Cancer patient-derived xenograft (PDX) growth in humanized mice that are mice with a reconstituted human immune system. Our recent publication in Cancer Research Discovery characterizes differences in the immune microenvironment for three distinct PDX models grown in humanized mice and characterizes the diverse cytokines secreted by the cancer cells that influence immune cell recruitment.
Mara P. Steinkamp, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology
Postdoctoral Training, University of New Mexico (Bridget S. Wilson and Diane S. Lidke Labs), 2009-2004
Ph.D. in Human Genetics, University of Michigan (Diane Robins Lab), 2009
B.A. in Biology and English, Williams College, 1998
From left to right: Dalet Armijo, Danielle Burke, Dr. Steinkamp, Parisa Nikeghbal and Dorsa Zamanian.
o Parisa Nikeghbal, Graduate Student focusing on 'The influence of Tumor Associates Macrophages on Ovarian Cancer Growth and Response to Therapies'
o Danielle Burke, Technician with expertise in Molecular Biology and Spectral Flow Cytometry
o Shayna Lucero, Technician with expertise in Cell Culture and Flow Cytometry
o Dorsa Zamanian, Undergraduate student
o Dalet Armijo, Undergraduate student
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/mara.steinkamp.1/bibliography/public/
Mouse models of disseminated ovarian cancer:
1. Steinkamp, M. P.*, I. Lagutina, K. J. Brayer, F. Schultz, D. Burke, V. S. Pankratz, S. F. Adams, L. G. Hudson, S. A. Ness and A. Wandinger-Ness (2023). "Humanized NBSGW PDX Models of Disseminated Ovarian Cancer Recapitulate Key Aspects of the Tumor Immune Environment within the Peritoneal Cavity." Cancer Research Communications 3 (2): 309–324. PMCID: PMC9973420 *Corresponding author.
2. Kanigel Winner, K.*, M.P. Steinkamp*, R. J. Lee, M. Swat, C.Y. Muller, M.E. Moses, Y. Jiang, B.S. Wilson (2016). Spatial modeling of drug delivery routes for treatment of disseminated ovarian cancer. Cancer Res. 76:1320-34. PMID: 26719526, PMCID: PMC4794352 *shared first author.
3. Davies S., A. Holmes, L. Lomo, M.P. Steinkamp, H. Kang, C.Y. Muller, and B.S. Wilson. (2014) High Incidence of ErbB3, ErbB4, and MET Expression in Ovarian Cancer. Int J Gynecol Pathol 33: 402-410. PMID: 24901400, PMCID: PMC4153698
4. Steinkamp M.P.*, K.K. Winner*, S. Davies, C.Y. Muller, Y. Zhang, R.M. Hoffman, A. Shirinifard, M. Moses, Y. Jiang, and B.S. Wilson. (2013) Ovarian tumor attachment, invasion, and vascularization reflect unique microenvironments in the peritoneum: insights from xenograft and mathematical models. Front Oncol 3: 97. PMCID:PMC3656359 *shared first author.
ErbB receptor signaling in cancer:
1. Steinkamp, M.P., S.T. Low-Nam, S. Yang, K.A. Lidke, D.S. Lidke, and B.S. Wilson (2014) erbB3 Is an Active Tyrosine Kinase Capable of Homo- and Heterointeractions. Molecular and Cellular Biology 34: 965-977. PMID: 24379439, PMCID: PMC3958038
2. McCabe Pryor, M.*, M.P. Steinkamp*, A.M. Halasz, Y. Chen, S. Yang, M.S. Smith, G. Zahoransky-Kohalmi, M. Swift, X.-P. Xu, D. Hanein, N. Volkmann, D.S. Lidke, J.S. Edwards, and B.S. Wilson 2015. Orchestration of ErbB3 signaling through heterointeractions and homointeractions. Molecular Biology of the Cell. 26:4109-4123. PMID:26378253, PMCID: PMC4710241 *shared first author.
3. Kerketta, R., Á.M. Halász, M.P. Steinkamp, B.S. Wilson, and J.S. Edwards (2016) Effect of spatial inhomogeneities on the membrane surface on receptor dimerization and signal initiation. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2016;4. PMID:27570763, PMCID: PMC4981600
4. Franco Nitta C., Green E.W., Jhamba E.D., Keth J.M., Ortiz-Caraveo I., Grattan R.M., Schodt D.J., Gibson A.C., Rajput A., Lidke K.A., Wilson B.S., Steinkamp M.P., Lidke D.S. EGFR transactivates RON to drive oncogenic crosstalk. Elife. 2021 Nov 25;10:e63678. doi: 10.7554/eLife.63678. PMID: 34821550, PMCID: PMC8654365.
Mara P. Steinkamp Ph.D.
Department of Pathology
Cancer Research Facility, Room 205A
University of New Mexico School of Medicine
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
Email: msteinkamp@salud.unm.edu
Phone: (505) 272-7684 (office)
Fax: (505) 272-1435