Norah Pencheva

Presented by Sohail Tavazie
B.A., Kenyon College
Identification of a MicroRNA Network that Regulates Melanoma Metastasis and Angiogenesis by Targeting ApoE

Nora hails from a tiny town in central Bulgaria. There are two things that she absolutely loves: her nightlife and her science. She approaches both with utmost passion and ferocity.

In my lab, Nora studied how melanoma spreads, or metastasizes, to distant organs. She found that melanoma cells that metastasize possess high levels of three specific small RNAs. These small RNAs block a gene called ApoE. Nora found that ApoE is a potent inhibitor of metastasis formation. By blocking ApoE, these small RNAs remove a key barrier that prevents their metastatic spread. ApoE works by preventing melanoma cells from migrating through tissue as well as blocking their ability to form blood vessels.

To see if ApoE’s activity could be harnessed for therapeutic benefit, Nora treated mice with a small-molecule compound that increases ApoE. Remarkably, she found that this treatment reduced metastasis formation in mice and increased their survival. These findings are exciting because they suggest that metastatic spread of melanoma in humans might also be prevented by small-molecule drugs. Nora will continue to contribute to our understanding of cancer biology as a postdoctoral fellow in René Bernards’s lab in Holland.

Nora not only has great intuition for science, she is also extremely rigorous in her work. She has been a tremendous role model and teacher for many in my lab. Nora, I’m very proud of all you have accomplished. Keep up the great work. We’ll miss you dearly.