Anna Woloszynska, PhD

Specialty: Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Specializing In:

  • Gene regulation
  • Genetics and epigenetics
  • Epigenetic therapies
  • Functional genomics
  • Translational research
  • Health disparities
  • Bladder cancer
  • Prostate cancer

Biography

I am a faculty member in the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and a member of the graduate faculty at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. I have developed a functional genomics research program that investigates the genetics and epigenetics of bladder and prostate cancers to identify new tumor vulnerabilities and rational therapeutic strategies. My group's basic and translational research focuses on novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers via unbiased approaches such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS), whole-exome sequencing (WES), RNA sequencing (RNAseq), and DNA methylation profiling of well-curated and annotated clinical specimens of bladder and prostate cancer.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Associate Professor of Oncology
  • Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Background

Education and Training

  • 2009 - PhD - State University of New York at Buffalo, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Division

Fellowship

  • 2010 - National Academies Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program, Institute of Medicine (IOM), The National Academies of Science, Washington, DC

Professional Memberships

  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
  • Society of Basic Urologic Research (SBUR)
  • American Society of Preventive Oncology (ASPO)
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
  • European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
  • Epigenetics Society
  • Women in Cancer Research

Professional Experience

  • 2010–2012 - Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in the Epidemiologic and Basic Science of Cancer Prevention (R25)
  • 2009-2010 - Translational Research Fellowship, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY

Honors & Awards

  • Award for Overall Excellence in Dissertation Research, SUNY Buffalo/ Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Graduate Division
  • American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Associate Member Council
  • AACR Scholar-in-Training Award supported by Susan G. Komen for the Cure to support attendance at the Fifth AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved
  • AACR Science Policy & Government Affairs Committee
  • AACR Workshop on Translational Cancer Research for Basic Scientist, American Association for Cancer Research, Boston, MA

Featured on CancerTalk

Publications

  Full Publications list on PubMed
  • Ramakrishnan S, Granger V, Rak M, Hu Q, Attwood K, Aquila L, Krishnan N, Osiecki R, Azabdaftari G, Guru K, Chatta G, Gueron G, McNally L, Ohm J, Wang J, Woloszynska A. Inhibition of EZH2 induces NK cell-mediated differentiation and death in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Cell Death Differ. 2019 Oct;26(10):2100-2114. doi: 10.1038/s41418-019-0278-9. Epub 2019 Jan 28. PMID: 30692641; PMCID: PMC6748105.
  • Aquila L, Ohm J, Woloszynska-Read A. The role of STAG2 in bladder cancer. Pharmacol Res. 2018 May;131:143-149. doi: 10.1016/j.phrs.2018.02.025. Epub 2018 Mar 1. PMID: 29501732.
  • Ramakrishnan S, Huss W, Foster B, Ohm J, Wang J, Azabdaftari G, Eng KH, Woloszynska-Read A. Transcriptional changes associated with in vivo growth of muscle-invasive bladder cancer cell lines in nude mice. Am J Clin Exp Urol. 2018 Jun 15;6(3):138-148. PMID: 30038946; PMCID: PMC6055076.
  • Ramakrishnan S, Hu Q, Krishnan N, Wang D, Smit E, Granger V, Rak M, Attwood K, Johnson C, Morrison C, Pili R, Chatta G, Guru K, Gueron G, McNally L, Wang J, Woloszynska-Read A. Decitabine, a DNA-demethylating agent, promotes differentiation via NOTCH1 signaling and alters immune-related pathways in muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Cell Death Dis. 2017 Dec 14;8(12):3217. doi: 10.1038/s41419-017-0024-5. PMID: 29242529; PMCID: PMC5870579.
  • Huang FW, Mosquera JM, Garofalo A, Oh C, Baco M, Amin-Mansour A, Rabasha B, Bahl S, Mullane SA, Robinson BD, Aldubayan S, Khani F, Karir B, Kim E, Chimene-Weiss J, Hofree M, Romanel A, Osborne JR, Kim JW, Azabdaftari G, Woloszynska-Read A, Sfanos K, De Marzo AM, Demichelis F, Gabriel S, Van Allen EM, Mesirov J, Tamayo P, Rubin MA, Powell IJ, Garraway LA. Exome Sequencing of African-American Prostate Cancer Reveals Loss-of-Function ERF Mutations. Cancer Discov. 2017 Sep;7(9):973-983. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-16-0960. Epub 2017 May 17. PMID: 28515055; PMCID: PMC5836784.