Juan Manuel “Juanma” Povedano Selfa, Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Assistant Professor Schools Medical School | Graduate School Departments Internal Medicine | Biochemistry Graduate Programs Biological Chemistry, Cancer Biology Biography Juan Manuel "Juanma" Povedano Selfa, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Division of Endocrinology. Originally from Spain, Dr. Povedano Selfa holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Alcala, and a master’s degree in molecular biomedicine from the University of Autonoma of Madrid, where he also completed his doctoral degree in molecular biology with highest honors. Prior to joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 2023, he conducted postdoctoral research in the laboratory of David McFadden, M.D., Ph.D. His research program focuses on identifying druggable vulnerabilities in cancers driven by elusive targets, with a particular emphasis on small cell lung cancer, an aggressive disease with few effective treatment options. Small cell lung cancer is characterized by loss-of-function mutations in the tumor suppressors TP53 and RB1, and unlike other lung cancer subtypes, it lacks actionable oncogenic mutations, contributing to minimal improvements in patient outcomes over the past four decades. To address this gap, his laboratory employs high-throughput phenotypic small-molecule screening and genome-wide CRISPR screening to uncover chemically tractable dependencies. Using murine cancer cell lines derived from genetically engineered mouse models alongside a broad panel of patient-derived cell lines, the lab has identified small molecules with selective toxicity against small cell lung cancer. Dr. Povedano Selfa is an active member of the European Association for Cancer Research and the American Association for Caner Research. Research Interest Small Cell Lung Cancer Publications Featured Publications Inducible mismatch repair streamlines forward genetic approaches to target identification of cytotoxic small molecules. Nguyen TP, Fang M, Kim J, Wang B, Lin E, Khivansara V, Barrows N, Rivera-Cancel G, Goralski M, Cervantes CL, Xie S, Peterson JM, Povedano JM, Antczak MI, Posner BA, Harvey CJB, Naughton BT, McFadden DG, Ready JM, De Brabander JK, Nijhawan D, Cell Chem Biol 2023 Aug TK216 targets microtubules in Ewing sarcoma cells. Povedano JM, Li V, Lake KE, Bai X, Rallabandi R, Kim J, Xie Y, De Brabander JK, McFadden DG, Cell Chem Biol 2022 Jul A Multipronged Approach Establishes Covalent Modification of ?-Tubulin as the Mode of Action of Benzamide Anti-cancer Toxins. Povedano JM, Rallabandi R, Bai X, Ye X, Liou J, Chen H, Kim J, Xie Y, Posner B, Rice L, De Brabander JK, McFadden DG, J Med Chem 2020 Nov 63 22 14054-14066 Engineering Forward Genetics into Cultured Cancer Cells for Chemical Target Identification. Povedano JM, Liou J, Wei D, Srivatsav A, Kim J, Xie Y, Nijhawan D, McFadden DG, Cell Chem Biol 2019 Jul Therapeutic effects of telomerase in mice with pulmonary fibrosis induced by damage to the lungs and short telomeres. Povedano JM, Martinez P, Serrano R, Tejera Á, Gómez-López G, Bobadilla M, Flores JM, Bosch F, Blasco MA, Elife 2018 Jan 7 Telomerase gene therapy rescues telomere length, bone marrow aplasia, and survival in mice with aplastic anemia. Bär C, Povedano JM, Serrano R, Benitez-Buelga C, Popkes M, Formentini I, Bobadilla M, Bosch F, Blasco MA, Blood 2016 Apr 127 14 1770-9 Mice with Pulmonary Fibrosis Driven by Telomere Dysfunction. Povedano JM, Martinez P, Flores JM, Mulero F, Blasco MA, Cell Rep 2015 Jul 12 2 286-99 Results 1-7 of 7 1 Honors & Awards UTSW Distinguished Postdoctoral Service Award 2021 (1st Prize) (2021) Chilton Foundation Postdoctoral FellowUT Southwestern Department of Biochemistry (2019-2020) Molecule of the Year Award (Shared with Collaborator Rameshu Rallabandi, Ph.D.)UT Southwestern Department of Biochemistry (2019) EMBO Postdoctoral Long-Term Fellowship (2016-2018) Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Ph.D. Fellow (FPI fellowship) (2012-2016) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Association for Cancer Research European Association for Cancer Research
