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Marilena Melas
European Journal of Case Reports
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Editor Name: Marilena Melas
Designation: Genetics and Genomics
fellow
Country: Ohio, United States
University: University of Southern
California
Email: marilena.melas@nationwidechildrens.org
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
POST GRADUATE EDUCATION
August 2019-July 2021: ABMGG Clinical Laboratory Genetics and
Genomics fellow, The Steve and Cindy Rasmussen
Institute for Genomic Medicine, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio.
GRADUATE EDUCATION
August 2015-August 2019: PhD Candidate in Cancer Biology and Genomics, Program in Biomedical
and Biological Sciences (PIBBS), USC Keck
School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
PhD dissertation: Genomic, Transcriptomic and Immunologic landscapes of Human Cancers.
Supervisor:Pr. Stephen Gruber (MD, PhD). USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center,
Los Angeles, CA, USA.
September 2010-September 2011: MSc Program (Honors): Genetics of Human Diseases, Department of
Biosciences, University College London (UCL), London, UK.
MSc project: Mutational analysis of the FBXW7 gene in Wilms’
Tumor patients.
Supervisor: Pr. Kathy Pritchard Jones (MD, PhD), Institute of Child Health, UCL,
London, UK
September 2008-July 2010: Inderdisciplinary MSc Program (Honors): “Cellular and Genetic Etiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Human
Disease”, School of Medicine/Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
(IMBB-FORTH) University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
MSc project: Assessment of the immune response to a therapeutic cancer vaccine,
Vx-001, in HLA-A* 0201 lung cancer patients.
Supervisor: Pr. DimitriosMavrudis (MD, PhD), Department of Medicine, University of
Crete, Greece
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION
September 2002-April 2008:
BSc program (Distinction, Ranked
1st): Applied Biology (5-year
degree).University of Ioannina, Greece.
Undergraduate thesis (February
2007-August 2007): The impact of the monoclonal
antibody called AVE-1642, on the receptor of the insulin-like growth factor
IGF-I, (IGF-IR) in human lung cancer.
Supervisor: Pr. VassilisGeorgoulias (MD, PhD), Department of Medicine, University
of Crete, Heraklion,Greece
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES/WORK EXPERIENCE
March 2013-August 2015:
Research Lab Specialist under the
supervision of Pr. Stephen Gruber, Director of USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer
Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
Responsibilities: Cancer Genetics Registry patient accrual, participation in research
projects such as Colorectal (CORECT) Transdisciplinary GWAS Study,
identification and characterization of a novel tumor mutation in BAP1 gene
which led to an increased understanding of the BAP1-associated
tumor predisposition syndrome, Hypermethylation of MLH1 gene,
Assessment of Microsatellite instability in African-Americans and Nigerian
patients with colon cancer, Identification and Genetic Anthropology of a novel
mutS homolog 2 (MSH2) mutation in a Druze population.
September 2012-November 2012:
Research Assistant under the
supervision of Pr. Alexander Stratigos (MD, PhD) at the Hospital of Dermatology
and Venearology ‘’Andreas Syggros’’, Athens, Greece
Responsibilities: ‘MelGene’ Database project coordinator (a database for genetic
associated studies in melanoma)
December 2011-September 2012:
Research assistant under the
supervision of Pr.VoulaVelissariou (PhD) at the department of Genetics and
Molecular Biology, Cytogenetics diagnostic lab at ‘Mitera’ General,
Maternity/Gynecology and Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Responsibilities: Karyotying, chromosomal analysis and cell cultures from amniotic fluid
samples, Chorionic villi samples (CVS) and embryonic tissues from products of
conception (POC).
May 2008-August 2008: Practical training (Regulation of
Gene Expression in the Immune System). Institute of Molecular Biology and
Biotechnology (IMBB) /FORTH, University of Crete, Greece.
Responsibilities: I conducted DNA-FISH experiments and studied the gene expression
pattern of TNFα in murine RAW264.7 macrophages cells upon induction with lps,
in a time-dependent manner.
June 2006-August 2006: Practical training (Regulation of Gene expression in mammals).
IMBB/FORTH, University of Crete, Greece. Supervisor: Dr. IosifPapamethakis.
AWARDS-SCHOLARSHIPS
-Selected as a TEDx ColumbusWomen speaker
for the event “Bold and Brilliant” in December 8th2020, in Columbus,
Ohio
Talk title: Personalized
Medicine: How your genome can improve your healthcare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOKO_537YAU&t=682s
-Selected to participate in the 9th
Summer School of the World Hellenic Biomedical Association (WHBA) in Medical
& Biosciences Research & Management, in May 15 - 22, 2020 (postponed
for May 2021) in Neo Itilo of Mani Lakonias, Greece (my application was ranked
in the top-20 applicants who will be granted with a full scholarship covering
all fees and travel expenses)http://www.whba1990.org/summerschool2020.html
-USC Student
Recognition: Order of Arete Award; the highest honor accorded graduate
students, May 2019.http://studentrecognition.usc.edu/awards/
-Member of the Honor Society Phi Kappa
Phi since April 2019. https://link.phikappaphi.org/members/profile?UserKey=656d528a-b026-49f8-b5a7-197b803cf32e
-Kure It
Cancer Research award for the PhD project: “Elucidation the Embryologic Origin
and Pathobiology of a de novo PATRR-mediated t(3:8) Balanced
Translocations Associated with Clear Cell Renal Carcinoma”. -Second
place award at the 3rd Sci-5 Competition organized by USC PIBBS
graduate program, October 23rd, 2018
-Award for best oral presentation
“Elucidating a de novo PATRR mediated balanced translocation
t(3;8) associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma”, 2017 University of
Southern California Graduate Students symposium, October 20th 2017,
Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles.
-Scholarship for participation in the
Summer School for Computational Genomics (CREEDS) at Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai, June 12th-June 23rd 2017, NYC.
Course Sponsor: NIH Big Data to Knowledge (BD2K) 1R25EB020393 (fully
covered fees and travel expenses)https://icahn.mssm.edu/education/non-degree/creeds
-Travel Award $1,000 for the academic
year 2016-2017 offered by USC Graduate School
-Selected to participate in the
‘Bootcamp for external fellowships’ organized my USC Graduate School and
offered a $1,000 award for the beginning of my PhD studies. August 2015,
Los Angeles.
-Scholarships of excellent achievement
from the Hellenic Scholarship Foundation (www.iky.gr) for all the academic
years of my undergraduate studies (ranked 1st). University of
Ioannina-Dept. of Biological Applications and Technologies, Greece.
-Graduation with Honors (Ranked 1st among
100 students-Valedictorian at the Graduation Ceremony) from the University of
Ioannina- Dept. of Biological Applications and Technologies, Greece, April
2008. (GPA: 3.8)
-Scholarship from the Propondis
Foundation (www.propondis.gr) for the academic years 2008-2010 in recognition
of academic achievement and excellent performance during my MSc studies
(Molecular Basis of Human Diseases) at the Dept. of Medicine, University of
Crete, Greece. (GPA: 3.98)
PUBLICATIONS
M. Melas, K. J. McDonnell, P.S. Boonstra, L. Raskin, C.C. Studenmund, M.
Zawistowski, B.Mukherjee, F. Lejbkowicz, H.S. RennertG. Rennert, S.B. Gruber.
Identification and characterization of a novel MSH2*c.705delA
pathogenic variant causing colon cancer in a Druze population. Cancer Genetics (Manuscript
in submitting stage).
Marilena Melas, Kevin J. McDonnell, Chris K. Edlund, Sarah J.Tash, Duveen Y.
Sturgeon, Chenxu Qu, Charalampos Lazaris, Peter J.Gruber, Thomas W.Glover,
Beverly S.Emanuel, Stephen B.Gruber. De novo Palindromic
Adenine Thymidine Rich Repeat (PATRR)-mediated constitutional balanced t(3;8)
translocation associated with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. (Manuscript
in drafting stage).
Marcia A. Ciccone, Crystal L. Adams,
Charles Bowen, Teena Thakur, Charité Ricker, Julie O. Culver, Asaf
Maoz, Marilena Melas, Gregory E. Idos, Anand D. Jeyasekharan, Koji
Matsuo, Lynda D. Roman, Stephen B. Gruber, Kevin J. McDonnell.Inhibition of
poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase induces synthetic lethality in BRIP1 deficient
ovarian epithelial cells, May 2020 (Manuscript submitted to Gynecologic
Oncology).
Bien A. Stephanie, Su Yu-Ru….Melas
Marilena….Peters U. Genetic variant predictors of gene expression provide
new insight into risk of Colorectal Cancer. Hum Genet. 2019
Jul;138(7):789-791. doi: 10.1007/s00439-019-02030-8)
Schmit SL, Edlund CK, Schumacher FR,
Gong J, Harrison TA, Huyghe JR, Qu C, Melas M,…et al…Gruber SB.
Novel Common Genetic Susceptibility Loci for Colorectal Cancer. J Natl Cancer
Inst. 2018 Jun 16. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djy099.
Jeroen R Huyghe, Stephanie A Bien…Marilena
Melas… Ulrike Peters. Discovery of common and rare genetic risk variants
for colorectal cancer. Nature Genetics 2018 doi: 10.1038/s41588-018-0286-6.
Katrina Lowstuter, Carin R.
Espenschied, Duveen Sturgeon, Charité Ricker, RachidKaram, Holly LaDuca, Julie
O. Culver, Jill S. Dolinsky,Elizabeth Chao, Julia Sturgeon, Virginia Speare,
Yanling Ma, Kerry Kingham, MarilenaMelas, Gregory E. Idos,
Kevin J. McDonnell, James M. Ford, Stephen B. Gruber. Unexpected CDH1 Mutations
Identified on Multi-Gene Panels Pose Clinical Management Challenges. JCO
Precision Oncology (2017)DO1: 10.1200/PO.17.00006.
Irabor DO, Oluwasola OA, Ogunbiyi OJ,
Ogun OG, Okolo CA, Melas M, Gruber SB, Shi C, Raskin L.
Microsatellite Instability is Common in Colorectal Cancer in Native Nigerians.
Anticancer Res. 2017 May; 37(5); 1649-1654.
Annette Y. Sungaand Charité Ricker,
Carin R. Espenschied, Danielle Castillo, MarilenaMelas, Josef
Herzog, Sarah Bannon, Marcia Cruz-Correa, Patrick Lynch, Ilana Solomon, Stephen
B. Gruber, Jeffrey N. Weitzel. Spectrum of Mismatch Repair Gene Mutations and
Clinical Presentation of Hispanic Individuals with Lynch syndrome. Cancer Genetics
(2017)doi:10.1016/j.cancergen.2017.01.003.
McDonnell, Kevin J, Gregory T Gallanis,
Kathleen A Heller, MarilenaMelas, Gregory E Idos, Julie O Culver,
Sue-Ellen Martin, David H Peng, and Stephen B Gruber. A Novel BAP1 Mutation Is
Associated with Melanocytic Neoplasms and Thyroid Cancer.Cancer Genetics 209,
no. 3 (March 2016): 75–81. doi:10.1016/j.cancergen.2015.12.007.
Schumacher, Schmit SL, Jiao S, Edlund
CK, Wang H, Zhang B, Hsu L, Huang SC, Fischer CP, Harju JF, Idos GE, Lejbkowicz
F, Manion FJ, McDonnell K, McNeil CE, Melas M,… et al…Stephen B
Gruber, Urike Peters. “Genome-Wide Association Study of Colorectal Cancer
Identifies Six New Susceptibility Loci..” Nature Communications 6 (July 7,
2015): 7138. doi:10.1038/ncomms8138
Grivas, Petros D, MarilenaMelas, and
Athanasios G Papavassiliou. The Biological Complexity of Urothelial Carcinoma:
Insights into Carcinogenesis, Targets and Biomarkers of Response to Therapeutic
Approaches. Seminars in Cancer Biology 35 (December 2015): 125–32. doi:10.1016/j.semcancer.2015.08.006.
Vetsika, Eleni-Kyriaki,
ElisavetPapadimitraki, DespoinaAggouraki, Georgios Konsolakis, Marina-Eleni
Mela, Athanasios Kotsakis, Soultana Christou, et al. Sequential
Administration of the Native TERT572 Cryptic Peptide Enhances the Immune
Response Initiated by Its Optimized Variant TERT572Y in Cancer Patients.Journal
of Immunotherapy 34, no. 9 (2011): 641–50. doi:10.1097/CJI.0b013e31823284a6.
Spiliotaki, Maria,
HarisMarkomanolaki, MarilenaMelas, Dimitris Mavroudis,
VassilisGeorgoulias, and Sofia Agelaki. Targeting the Insulin-Like Growth
Factor I Receptor Inhibits Proliferation and VEGF Production of Non-Small Cell
Lung Cancer Cells and Enhances Paclitaxel-Mediated Anti-Tumor Effect.Lung
Cancer 73, no. 2 (August 2011): 158–65. doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2010.11.010.
European Journal of Case Reports and Clinical Images is an international open-access journal publi
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