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Nadine Hempel

Assistant Professor of Nanobioscience

Education:

  • Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Immunology and Microbial Diseases, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 2010
  • Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Hematology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 2007
  • Ph.D., Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 2004
  • B.Sc.(Hons), with major in Pharmacology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, 1999

Past Professional Experience:

  • Senior Research Scientist, College of Nanoscale Sciences and Engineering, University at Albany (SUNY), Albany, NY, 2011
  • Research Assistant Professor, Department of Immunology and Microbial Diseases, Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, 2011

Areas of Research:

  • Cancer Cell Metastasis
  • Nanobiotechnology
  • Tumor Cell Migration and Invasion
  • Reactive Oxygen Species and Signal Transduction
  • Antioxidant Enzymes
  • Tumor Markers

Research Description:

My primary research goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate tumor cell metastasis. Movement of cancer cells from the primary tumor to distant metastatic sites represents the most lethal stage of cancer progression, due to difficulties in detection, isolation and effective targeted treatment. The potential for a cell to migrate and invade depends on a multitude of signaling pathways, which present novel targets for the identification of metastatic tumor markers and for the development of anti-metastatic therapies. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are known modulators of tumorigenicity and act as novel second messengers in a multitude of cellular signaling cascades. Intrinsic levels of ROS are elevated and expression of antioxidant enzymes altered in metastatic cancer types. The ability of tumors to survive and thrive with an increased ROS milieu suggests that these have evolved to utilize ROS for pro-metastatic signaling. My current research focuses on investigating the role of ROS and antioxidant enzymes during metastasic progression of bladder and ovarian cancer and investigates their mechanisms of action on cellular signaling events. In this context, we are interested in utilizing innovative nano-scale diagnostic and analytical tools to isolate and characterize metastatic tumor cells, and to apply nano-scale therapeutic delivery methods to target and treat metastasic disease.

Recent Honors and Awards:

  • National Cancer Institute (NIH) Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00)
  • Young Investigator Award, Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine 
  • American Association for Cancer Research Scholar-in-Training Award
  • National Cancer Institute (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards (NRSA) 
  • UAlbany Fund for Memory and Hope Research Award, Conference on Cancer Genomics 
  • Dean’s Commendation for outstanding quality and innovative nature of research thesis (University of Queensland)
  • Graduate School Research Travel Award (University of Queensland)
  • Australian Postgraduate Award
  • Douglas H.K. Lee Honours Prize (University of Queensland)

Selected peer-reviewed publications:

Hempel N, Mian B, Melendez JA (2011) Intracellular redox-control of the metastatic phenotype through reciprocal regulation of pro- and anti-migratory signaling. in submission

Hempel N, Carrico PM, Melendez JA (2011) Manganese Superoxide Dismutase (Sod2) and Redox-Control of Signaling Events that Drive Metastasis Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry, 11(2):191-201.

Cooper SJ, Zou H, Legrand SN, Marlow LA, von Roemeling CA, Radisky DC, Wu KJ, Hempel N, Margulis V, Tun HW, Blobe GC, Wood CG, Copland JA (2010) Loss of type III transforming growth factor-beta receptor expression is due to methylation silencing of the transcription factor GATA3 in renal cell carcinoma. Oncogene. 29(20):2905-15.

Lee JD, Hempel N, Lee NY, Blobe GC (2010) The type III TGF-beta receptor suppresses breast cancer progression through GIPC-mediated inhibition of TGF-beta signaling. Carcinogenisis, 31(2):175-83.

Hempel N, Ye H, Abessi B, Mian B, Melendez JA (2009) Altered redox status accompanies progression to metastatic human bladder cancer. Free Radical Biology & Medicine, 46(1):42-50.

Carrico PM, Hempel N, Melendez JA (2009) Respiratory Control of Redox Signaling and Cancer. Cellular Respiration and Carcinogenesis. Ed. Apte SP and Sarangarajan R. (Humana Press, New York).

Hempel N, How T, Cooper SJ, Green TR, Dong M, Copland JA, Wood CG, Blobe GC (2008) Expression of the Type III TGF-β Receptor is negatively regulated by TGF-β. Carcinogenesis, 29(5):905-12.

Conner K, Hempel N, Nelson KK, Dabiri G, Gamarra A, Van De Water L, Mian B, Melendez JA (2007) Manganese Superoxide Dismutase enhances the invasive and migratory activity of tumor cells. Cancer Research, 67(21):10260-7.

Hempel N, How T, Dong M, Murphy SK, Fields TA, Blobe GC (2007) Loss of betaglycan expression in ovarian cancer: role in motility and invasion. Cancer Research, 67(11):5231-8. Highlighted in Faculty of 1000 Medicine.

Turley RS, Finger EC, How T, Hempel N, Fields TA, Blobe GC (2007) The Type III Transforming Growth Factor-b Receptor as a Novel Tumor Suppressor Gene in Prostate Cancer. Cancer Research, 67(3):1090-8.

Dong M, How T, Kirkbride KC, Gordon KJ, Lee JD, Hempel N, Kelly P, Moeller BJ, Marks JR, Blobe GC (2007) The type III TGF-beta receptor suppresses breast cancer progression. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 117: 206-17.

Hempel N, Gamage N, Martin JL, McManus ME (2007) Molecules in Focus: Human sulfotransferase SULT1A1. International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 39(4):685-9.

Hempel N, Blobe GC. (2006) TGF-beta type II receptor. AfCS-Nature Molecule Pages. (doi:10.1038/mp.a002273.01).

Hempel N, Negishi M, McManus ME (2005) Human SULT1A Genes: Cloning and Activity Assays of the SULT1A Promoters. Methods in Enzymology, 400:147-65.

Hempel N, Barnett AC, Gamage N, Duggleby RG, Martin J, Windmill KF, McManus ME (2005) Human SULT1A Sulfotransferases. Human cytosolic sulfotransferases. Ed. Pacifici GM and Coughtrie MWH. (Taylor & Francis; London).

Gamage N, Barnett A, Hempel N, Duggleby RG, Windmill KF, Martin JL, McManus ME (2005) Human Sulfotransferases and Their Role in Chemical Metabolism. Toxicological Sciences, 90(1):5-22.

Trebak M, Hempel N, Wedel BJ, Smyth JT, Bird GSJ, Putney JW Jr (2004) Negative regulation of TRPC3 channels by protein kinase C-mediated phosphorylation of serine 712. Molecular Pharmacology, 67(2): 558-63.

Hempel N, Wang H, LeCluyse E, McManus ME, Negishi M (2004) The human sulfotransferase SULT1A1 gene is regulated in a synergistic manner by Sp1 and GA Binding Protein. Molecular Pharmacology, 66(6): 1690-701.

Hempel N, Barnett AC, Bolton-Grob RM, Liyou NE, McManus ME (2000) Site-directed mutagenesis of the substrate-binding cleft of human estrogen sulfotransferase. Biochemical Biophysical Research Communications, 276(1): 224-30.

Member:
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Society for Free Radical Biology and Medicine (SFRBM)

Invited Reviewer:
Carcinogenesis, Biochemical Journal, Free Radical Biology and Medicine, PLoSOne, International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Current Molecular Medicine, Toxicology Letters, Chemico-Biological Interactions