Christine Iok In Chio, PhD

  • Assistant Professor of Genetics and Development (in the Institute for Cancer Genetics)
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Overview

Academic Appointments

  • Assistant Professor of Genetics and Development (in the Institute for Cancer Genetics)

Credentials & Experience

Committees, Societies, Councils

Present: Member of American Association of Cancer Research

2003-Present: Member of Golden Key International Honour Society

10/2013- Present: Damon Runyon Research Fellow

4/2015-Present: Member of American Association for Cancer Research

2/2017-Present: Editorial board member of “Gastroenterology and Liver Clinical and Medical Issues”

Research

Christine Chio studies Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) that represents the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Lethality of PDA owes largely to the advanced disease stage at the time of diagnosis and to its profound resistance to existing therapies. Targeted therapy is a cornerstone of precision medicine, and is currently the focus of much anticancer drug development. However, in the context of pancreatic cancer, no chemical inhibitors exist for the most common KRAS mutations (G12D, G12V) even though it is well established that the oncogenic KRAS promotes drug resistance. Thus, a detailed understanding of the role of specific genetic lesions and their signaling surrogates in the initiation and progression of PDA is critical to improving treatment efficacy and patient outcome for this disease. Using genetically engineered mouse models and ex vivo culture systems, the Chio lab seeks to understand the basic mechanisms underlying PDAC biology such that vulnerabilities can be identified and tested for therapeutic intervention. For more information please visit Chio Laboratory

Selected Publications

  1. He D, Feng H, Sundberg B, Yang J, Powers J, Christian A, Wilkinson J, Mommin C, Avizonis D, Thomas C, Friedman R, Kluger M, Hollingsworth M, Grandgenett, P, Klute K, Toste D, Chang C, Chio II. Methionine Oxidation Activates Pyruvate Kinase M2 to Promote Pancreatic Cancer Metastasis. Molecular Cell. 2022. In Press.  
  2. Powers J, Chio II. Softening Redox Homeostasis in Cancer. Nature Cell Biology. 2022; 24, pages 133–134.
  3. Yang, X, Chio II. PDA got SERious Nerves. Trends in Cancer. 2020; 10.1016/j.trecan.2020.12.004 
  4. Chan KM, Robert F, Oertlin C, Kapeller-Libermann, D, Avizonis D, Park J, Schoepfer C, Da Silva B, Yao M, Gorton F, Thomas C, Brown L, Porco J, Doubrovin M, Pollak M, Larsson O, Pelletier J, Chio II. eIF4A-dependent translational control of central carbon metabolism in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.Nature Communications. 2019; 10, 5151 
  5. Chio, II, Jafarnejad SM, Ponz-Sarvise M, Park Y, Rivera K, Palm W, Wilson J, Sangar V, Hao Y, Ohlund D, Wright K, Filippini D, Lee EJ, Da Silva B, Schoepfer C, Wilkinson JE, Buscaglia JM, DeNicola GM, Tiriac H, Hammell M, Crawford HC, Schmidt EE, Thompson CB, Pappin DJ, Sonenberg N, Tuveson DA. NRF2 Promotes Tumor Maintenance by Modulating mRNA Translation in Pancreatic Cancer. Cell. 2016;166(4):963-76.  
  6. Boj SF*, Hwang CI*, Baker LA*, Chio, II*, Engle DD*, Corbo V*, Jager M, Ponz-Sarvise M, Tiriac H, Spector MS, Gracanin A, Oni T, Yu KH, van Boxtel R, Huch M, Rivera KD, Wilson JP, Feigin ME, Ohlund D, Handly-Santana A, Ardito-Abraham CM, Ludwig M, Elyada E, Alagesan B, Biffi G, Yordanov GN, Delcuze B, Creighton B, Wright K, Park Y, Morsink FH, Molenaar IQ, Borel Rinkes IH, Cuppen E, Hao Y, Jin Y, Nijman IJ, Iacobuzio-Donahue C, Leach SD, Pappin DJ, Hammell M, Klimstra DS, Basturk O, Hruban RH, Offerhaus GJ, Vries RG, Clevers H, Tuveson DA. Organoid models of human and mouse ductal pancreatic cancer. Cell. 2015;160(1-2):324-38. 
  7. Chio, II, Sasaki M, Ghazarian D, Moreno J, Done S, Ueda T, Inoue S, Chang YL, Chen NJ, Mak TW. TRADD contributes to tumour suppression by regulating ULF-dependent p19Arf ubiquitylation. Nat Cell Biol. 2012;14(6):625-33.  
  8. Chen NJ*, Chio, II*, Lin WJ, Duncan G, Chau H, Katz D, Huang HL, Pike KA, Hao Z, Su YW, Yamamoto K, de Pooter RF, Zuniga-Pflucker JC, Wakeham A, Yeh WC, Mak TW. Beyond tumor necrosis factor receptor: TRADD signaling in toll-like receptors. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008;105(34):12429-34.  

*Authors contributed equally to work 


For a complete list of publications, please visit PubMed.gov