2003 Karl Meyer Award Winner

Pamela Stanley, Ph.D.  
Professor, Department of Cell Biology, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Yeshiva University
The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Chair

Dr. Stanley received her Ph.D. in department of microbiology, University of Melbourne, Australia. She then served as a postdoctoral fellow of the Medical Research Council of Canadian the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Stanley now runs a lab at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

Professional Interests:
Glycan Functions in Development, Cancer and Notch Signaling. In the post-genomic era it is more apparent than ever that post-translational modifications of proteins are a critical factor in determining biological functions. Glycosylation is the most abundant and varied post-translational modification of proteins. The complement of different glycans on cell surface glycoproteins changes during embryonic development, the inflammatory response and transformation into a cancer cell. Cell surface changes that cause metastasis of cancer cells are also correlated with the appearance or disappearance of particular sugar residues. Notch receptor signaling that is critical for cell fate decisions and growth control is regulated by O-fucose glycans. We have generated CHO cells and mice defective in specific glycosylation reactions and are using them to identify new roles for sugars in Notch receptor signaling, mammalian development and tumor progression in a mouse mammary tumor model. We are also identifying new glycosylation activities using transfection and selection strategies. Our overall goal is to define structure/function relationships for specific sugar residues in vivo.