Gao Guo, Ph.D.

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Dr. Guo obtained his Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Free University of Berlin. His Ph.D. dissertation focused on the investigation of the underlying pathological mechanism of Marfan syndrome, a heritable connective tissue disorder. He proposed a completely new therapeutic strategy using monoclonal and anti-inflammatory treatment to ameliorate manifestations of aortic disease in Marfan patients. This work resulted in several peer-reviewed articles in prestigious journals such as Circulation. He received his postdoctoral training  at UCLA School of Dentistry, where he studied the role of NFk-B signaling pathways in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

In 2014, Dr. Guo joined the Department of  Neurology for his second postdoctoral training and is now an Instructor in the same department. His current research focuses on understanding the mechanism of resistance to EGFR inhibition in glioblastoma (GBM). He has identified an adaptive signaling pathway that is responsible for the resistance to EGFR inhibition in GBM  and proposed a new treatment strategy to overcome resistance to EGFR inhibition.  He also has a particular interest in oncogenic signaling  in GBM invasion and proliferation.

Dr. Guo has published over 20 peer-review articles and reviews, 14 of which are first/co-first author.  He is committed to continue transitioning his research program in a more translational direction for the novel developing therapies that may be useful in the treatment of patients with GBM. 

• Glioblastoma invasion and proliferation
• Mechanism of drug resistance in glioblastoma
• Oncogenic signaling

Featured Publications

Efficacy of EGFR plus TNF inhibition in a preclinical model of temozolomide-resistant glioblastoma.

Guo G, Gong K, Puliyapaddamba VT, Panchani N, Pan E, Mukherjee B, Damanwalla Z, Bharia S, Hatanpaa KJ, Gerber DE, Mickey BE, Patel TR, Sarkaria JN, Zhao D, Burma S, Habib AA, Neuro-oncology 2019 Jul

A TNF-JNK-Axl-ERK signaling axis mediates primary resistance to EGFR inhibition in glioblastoma.

Guo G, Gong K, Ali S, Ali N, Shallwani S, Hatanpaa KJ, Pan E, Mickey B, Burma S, Wang DH, Kesari S, Sarkaria JN, Zhao D, Habib AA Nat. Neurosci. 2017 Aug 20 8 1074-1084

Induction of macrophage chemotaxis by aortic extracts of the mgR Marfan mouse model and a GxxPG-containing fibrillin-1 fragment.

Guo G, Booms P, Halushka M, Dietz HC, Ney A, Stricker S, Hecht J, Mundlos S, Robinson PN, Circulation 2006 Oct 114 17 1855-62

Comprehensive targeting of resistance to inhibition of RTK signaling pathways by using glucocorticoids

Gong K, Guo G, Beckley NA, Yang X, Zhang Y, Gerber DE, Minna JD, Burma S, Zhao D, Akbay EA, Habib AA NC 2021 Accepted, in press

TNF-driven adaptive response mediates resistance to EGFR inhibition in lung cancer.

Gong K, Guo G, Gerber DE, Gao B, Peyton M, Huang C, Minna JD, Hatanpaa KJ, Kernstine K, Cai L, Xie Y, Zhu H, Fattah FJ, Zhang S, Takahashi M, Mukherjee B, Burma S, Dowell J, Dao K, Papadimitrakopoulou VA, Olivas V, Bivona TG, Zhao D, Habib AA J. Clin. Invest. 2018 Jun 128 6 2500-2518

The Role of EGFR-Met Interactions in the Pathogenesis of Glioblastoma and Resistance to Treatment.

Guo G, Narayan RN, Horton L, Patel TR, Habib AA Curr Cancer Drug Targets 2017 17 3 297-302

Analysis of Constitutive EGFR Signaling Regulating IRF3 Transcriptional Activity in Cancer Cells.

Guo G, Gong K, Habib AA Methods Mol. Biol. 2017 1652 183-189

Lysine demethylase KDM3A regulates breast cancer cell invasion and apoptosis by targeting histone and the non-histone protein p53.

Ramadoss S, Guo G, Wang CY Oncogene 2017 01 36 1 47-59

Ligand-Independent EGFR Signaling.

Guo G, Gong K, Wohlfeld B, Hatanpaa KJ, Zhao D, Habib AA Cancer Res. 2015 Aug

Differential effect of cataract-associated mutations in MAF on transactivation of MAF target genes.

Vanita V, Guo G, Singh D, Ott CE, Robinson PN, Mol. Cell. Biochem. 2014 Nov 396 1-2 137-45

• Free University Scholarship for PhD student