Ariella Hanker, Ph.D. Assistant Professor School Medical School Department Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center | Internal Medicine Graduate Programs Cancer Biology, Cell and Molecular Biology Biography Dr. Hanker received her B.Sc. in chemistry from the University of Virginia in 2004 and Ph.D. in genetics and molecular biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2009. Her graduate work in the laboratory of Dr. Channing Der focused on strategies to disrupt membrane binding of the small GTPase Rheb, in an effort to block aberrant Rheb/mTOR signaling in cancer. Dr. Hanker pursued postdoctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Carlos Arteaga at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. During this time, she was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program and a career development award (K12 award) from the National Cancer Institute. Her postdoctoral studies used transgenic mouse models and human breast cancer xenografts to study mechanisms of resistance to HER2-targeted therapy in HER2+ breast cancer. More recently, Dr. Hanker identified the HER2 T798I gatekeeper mutation as a mechanism of resistance to HER2-targeted therapy in HER2-mutant breast cancer. Dr. Hanker's current work is focused on 1) therapeutic targeting of breast cancer-associated alterations, and 2) delineating mechanisms of resistance to breast cancer targeted therapies, including HER2 inhibitors, antiestrogens, PI3K/AKT inhibitors, and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Dr. Hanker joined the faculty of UT Southwestern Medical Center in 2018. Her research program is supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Education Undergraduate University of Virginia - Sfs (2004), Chemistry Graduate School University of N C-Chapel Hill (2009) Research Interest breast cancer targeted therapy cancer biology cancer genomics drug resistance PI3K pathway precision oncology receptor tyrosine kinases signal transduction Publications Featured Publications PRMT5 is an actionable therapeutic target in CDK4/6 inhibitor-resistant ER+/RB-deficient breast cancer. Lin CC, Chang TC, Wang Y, Guo L, Gao Y, Bikorimana E, Lemoff A, Fang YV, Zhang H, Zhang Y, Ye D, Soria-Bretones I, Servetto A, Lee KM, Luo X, Otto JJ, Akamatsu H, Napolitano F, Mani R, Cescon DW, Xu L, Xie Y, Mendell JT, Hanker AB, Arteaga CL, Nat Commun 2024 Mar 15 1 2287 Neratinib + fulvestrant + trastuzumab for HR-positive, HER2-negative, HER2-mutant metastatic breast cancer: outcomes and biomarker analysis from the SUMMIT trial. Jhaveri K, Eli LD, Wildiers H, Hurvitz SA, Guerrero-Zotano A, Unni N, Brufsky A, Park H, Waisman J, Yang ES, Spanggaard I, Reid S, Burkard ME, Vinayak S, Prat A, Arnedos M, Bidard FC, Loi S, Crown J, Bhave M, Piha-Paul SA, Suga JM, Chia S, Saura C, Garcia-Saenz JÁ, Gambardella V, de Miguel MJ, Gal-Yam EN, Rapael A, Stemmer SM, Ma C, Hanker AB, Ye D, Goldman JW, Bose R, Peterson L, Bell JSK, Frazier A, DiPrimeo D, Wong A, Arteaga CL, Solit DB, Ann Oncol 2023 Oct 34 10 885-898 Acquired secondary HER2 mutations enhance HER2/MAPK signaling and promote resistance to HER2 kinase inhibition in breast cancer. Marin A, Mamun AA, Patel H, Akamatsu H, Ye D, Sudhan DR, Eli L, Marcelain K, Brown BP, Meiler J, Arteaga CL, Hanker AB, Cancer Res 2023 Jul Co-occurring gain-of-function mutations in HER2 and HER3 modulate HER2/HER3 activation, oncogenesis, and HER2 inhibitor sensitivity. Hanker AB, Brown BP, Meiler J, Marín A, Jayanthan HS, Ye D, Lin CC, Akamatsu H, Lee KM, Chatterjee S, Sudhan DR, Servetto A, Brewer MR, Koch JP, Sheehan JH, He J, Lalani AS, Arteaga CL, Cancer Cell 2021 Jun Proline rich 11 (PRR11) overexpression amplifies PI3K signaling and promotes antiestrogen resistance in breast cancer. Lee KM, Guerrero-Zotano AL, Servetto A, Sudhan DR, Lin CC, Formisano L, Jansen VM, González-Ericsson P, Sanders ME, Stricker TP, Raj G, Dean KM, Fiolka R, Cantley LC, Hanker AB, Arteaga CL, Nat Commun 2020 10 11 1 5488 Overcoming Endocrine Resistance in Breast Cancer. Hanker AB, Sudhan DR, Arteaga CL, Cancer Cell 2020 Apr 37 4 496-513 Hyperactivation of TORC1 Drives Resistance to the Pan-HER Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Neratinib in HER2-Mutant Cancers. Sudhan DR, Guerrero-Zotano A, Won H, González Ericsson P, Servetto A, Huerta-Rosario M, Ye D, Lee KM, Formisano L, Guo Y, Liu Q, Kinch LN, Red Brewer M, Dugger T, Koch J, Wick MJ, Cutler RE, Lalani AS, Bryce R, Auerbach A, Hanker AB, Arteaga CL, Cancer Cell 2020 Jan Challenges for the Clinical Development of PI3K Inhibitors: Strategies to Improve Their Impact in Solid Tumors. Hanker AB, Kaklamani V, Arteaga CL Cancer Discov 2019 Mar An Acquired HER2T798I Gatekeeper Mutation Induces Resistance to Neratinib in a Patient with HER2 Mutant-Driven Breast Cancer. Hanker AB, Brewer MR, Sheehan JH, Koch JP, Sliwoski GR, Nagy R, Lanman R, Berger MF, Hyman DM, Solit DB, He J, Miller V, Cutler RE, Lalani AS, Cross D, Lovly CM, Meiler J, Arteaga CL Cancer Discov 2017 06 7 6 575-585 Evaluating the immunologically "cold" tumor microenvironment after treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors utilizing PET imaging of CD4 + and CD8 + T cells in breast cancer mouse models. Lu Y, Houson HA, Gallegos CA, Mascioni A, Jia F, Aivazian A, Song PN, Lynch SE, Napier TS, Mansur A, Larimer BM, Lapi SE, Hanker AB, Sorace AG, Breast Cancer Res 2024 Jun 26 1 104 Results 1-10 of 34 1 2 3 4 Next Last Books Featured Books The Roles of Ras Family Small GTPases in Breast Cancer. In Handbook of Cell Signaling 2ed Hanker AB, Der CJ (2009). Cambridge, MA, Academic Press Role of R-Ras in Cell Growth. In Handbook of Cell Signaling 2ed Repasky GA, Cox AD, Hanker AB, Mitin N, Der CJ (2009). Cambridge, MA, Academic Press Honors & Awards AACR NextGen Star (2022) Breast Cancer Research Foundation Award - Abemaciclib Research Program (2020-2023) NIH/NCI SPORE in Breast Cancer Career Enhancement Award (2016) AACR-Susan G. Komen Scholar-in-Training Award, San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (2014) Vanderbilt Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Award (K12) (2014) AACR-Aflac, Inc. Scholar-in-Training Award (2013) Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (2011) Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Predoctoral Traineeship Award (2006) Highest Distinction, University of Virginia Distinguished Majors Project (2004) Professional Associations/Affiliations American Association for Cancer Research (2009) Cancer Biology graduate program (2022) Cell and Molecular Biology graduate program (2022) Experimental Therapeutics Program, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center (2019) Ipatasertib Project Team, National Cancer Institute Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (NCI CTEP) (2020-2020)
