
Elisabeth Martinez, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Endowed Title John P. Perkins, Ph.D. Distinguished Professorship in Biomedical Science
Department Pharmacology | Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research
Graduate Programs Cancer Biology
Biography
POSITIONS:
1993-1994 Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Newton, MA. Supervisor: Mary Roberts, Ph.D.
1994-1996 Research Assistant, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington DC. Supervisor: Mark Danielsen, Ph.D.
1996-2002 Graduate Student Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC. Supervisor/mentor: Mark Danielsen, Ph.D.
2002-2005 Postdoctoral Fellow, Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD. Supervisor: Gordon L. Hager, Ph.D.
2005- 2009 Instructor, Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern.
Sept. 2009 - 2013 Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern.
Sept. 2013-2019 Tenure track Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern.
Sept. 2019- Asoociate Professor, Department of Pharmacology, UT Southwestern (tenured).
Education
- Graduate School
- Georgetown University (2002)
Research Interest
- Deregulation of transcriptional pathways in cancer and other diseases
- Drug discovery
- Epigenetic control of gene expression
- Interplay between cellular metabolism and epigenetics
- Novel therapeutics for gene expression disorders
- Small molecule inhibitors of Jumonji enzymes
- The role of Jumonji histone demethylases in physiology and disease
- Transcriptional regulation by nuclear receptors and their cofactors
Publications
Featured Publications
- Disruption of the Plasmodium falciparum Life Cycle through Transcriptional Reprogramming by Inhibitors of Jumonji Demethylases.
- Matthews KA, Senagbe KM, Nötzel C, Gonzales CA, Tong X, Rijo-Ferreira F, Bhanu NV, Miguel-Blanco C, Lafuente-Monasterio MJ, Garcia BA, Kafsack BFC, Martinez ED, ACS Infect Dis 2020 Apr
- Histone lysine dimethyl-demethylase KDM3A controls pathological cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis.
- Zhang QJ, Tran TAT, Wang M, Ranek MJ, Kokkonen-Simon KM, Gao J, Luo X, Tan W, Kyrychenko V, Liao L, Xu J, Hill JA, Olson EN, Kass DA, Martinez ED, Liu ZP, Nat Commun 2018 12 9 1 5230
- Jumonji Inhibitors Overcome Radioresistance in Cancer through Changes in H3K4 Methylation at Double-Strand Breaks.
- Bayo J, Tran TA, Wang L, Peña-Llopis S, Das AK, Martinez ED Cell Rep 2018 Oct 25 4 1040-1050.e5
- Taxane-Platin-Resistant Lung Cancers Co-develop Hypersensitivity to JumonjiC Demethylase Inhibitors.
- Dalvi MP, Wang L, Zhong R, Kollipara RK, Park H, Bayo J, Yenerall P, Zhou Y, Timmons BC, Rodriguez-Canales J, Behrens C, Mino B, Villalobos P, Parra ER, Suraokar M, Pataer A, Swisher SG, Kalhor N, Bhanu NV, Garcia BA, Heymach JV, Coombes K, Xie Y, Girard L, Gazdar AF, Kittler R, Wistuba II, Minna JD, Martinez ED Cell Rep 2017 May 19 8 1669-1684
- A small molecule modulates Jumonji histone demethylase activity and selectively inhibits cancer growth.
- Wang L, Chang J, Varghese D, Dellinger M, Kumar S, Best AM, Ruiz J, Bruick R, Peña-Llopis S, Xu J, Babinski DJ, Frantz DE, Brekken RA, Quinn AM, Simeonov A, Easmon J, Martinez ED Nat Commun 2013 Jun 4 2035
- Falling off the academic bandwagon. Women are more likely to quit at the postdoc to principal investigator transition.
- Martinez ED, Botos J, Dohoney KM, Geiman TM, Kolla SS, Olivera A, Qiu Y, Rayasam GV, Stavreva DA, Cohen-Fix O EMBO Rep. 2007 Nov 8 11 977-81
- Genetic heterogeneity within collective invasion packs drives leader and follower cell phenotypes.
- Zoeller EL, Pedro B, Konen J, Dwivedi B, Rupji M, Sundararaman N, Wang L, Horton JR, Zhong C, Barwick BG, Cheng X, Martinez ED, Torres MP, Kowalski J, Marcus AI, Vertino PM, J. Cell. Sci. 2019 Sep
- A comprehensive study of epigenetic alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma identifies potential therapeutic targets.
- Bayo J, Fiore EJ, Dominguez LM, Real A, Malvicini M, Rizzo M, Atorrasagasti C, García MG, Argemi J, Martinez ED, Mazzolini GD, J. Hepatol. 2019 Mar
- Telomerase-Mediated Strategy for Overcoming Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Targeted Therapy and Chemotherapy Resistance.
- Mender I, LaRanger R, Luitel K, Peyton M, Girard L, Lai TP, Batten K, Cornelius C, Dalvi MP, Ramirez M, Du W, Wu LF, Altschuler SJ, Brekken R, Martinez ED, Minna JD, Wright WE, Shay JW Neoplasia 2018 Aug 20 8 826-837
- JumonjiC demethylase inhibitors show potential for targeting chemotherapy-resistant lung cancers.
- Dalvi MP, Martinez ED Mol Cell Oncol 2017 4 5 e1345352
Honors & Awards
- John P. Perkins, Ph.D. Distinguished Professor in Biomedical Science
UTSW (2019-2022) - Gliman Special Opportunities Award
UTSW (2016) - Friends of the Cancer Center Award
UTSW (2014) - Dean's LEAD award
(2013) - Early Investigator Abstract award
Keystone Symposia (2013) - Abstract Award
International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (2007) - NIH Technology Transfer Award
(2004) - NIH FARE Research Excellence Award
(2003) - Keystone Symposia Travel awards
(2002) - Phi Beta Kappa
1994-present (0)
Professional Associations/Affiliations
- Co-founder and Member of the Nuclear Receptor Resource Project, 1995-present
- Member of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2005-present
- Member of the American Society for Cell Biology, 2004-present
- Member of the Endocrine Society, 1997-present
- NIH Task Force on Recruitment and Retention of Women, Subcommittee co-chair, 2003-present