2025 Mar
Mar 8 2025
Our paper, "mirtrons in human cancers." was selected as the journal title story.
Mar 6 2025
Our paper, "mirtrons in human cancers." was selected as the journal title story.
Mar 1 2025
Congratulations to Trevor Jones (AKA Trevor Dion) winning the first place presentation award at Texas Academy of Sciences.
2025 Feb
Feb 6 2025
Congratulations to Sy Bogutski on being admitted to the Early Acceptance Program (EAP) at the TTUHSC School of Medicine!
Feb 5 2025
Nicholas Pascuzzi will be joining the lab as a new Ph.D. student this Fall. In addition to receiving a top-tier scholarship, Nick has also been awarded the most prestigious award, the graduate recruitment fellowship.
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Derrick Miller will also join the lab this Fall as a thesis-based Master's student. He has also been provided with departmental scholarship to pursue his Master's degree.
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Feb 4 2025
Our review article entitled "Mirtrons in human cancers." was accepted by the journal Onco.
2024 Dec
Dec 13 2024
Reagan Farrell, Nicholas Pascuzzi and Mei Li (left to right) present their research work without bringing me (lol) this year at San Antonio Breast Cancer Research Symposium.
2024 Oct
Oct 30 2024
Anika Seelam and Sy Bogutski presented at the annual NCHC conference. Anika won the second place of the presentation under health sciences category.
Oct 23 2024
The graduate student, Shakil Ahmed, received "Graduate Student Research Award" with $1,500 from the University.
Oct 21 2024
Our book chapter entitled" Recent Breakthroughs in Breast Cancer Endocrinology." was accepted by IntechOpen.
2024 Aug
Aug 21 2024
Chen Lab receives new funding from the STEM Research Assistance Program!!!
Aug 16 2024
Our research work about iron transfer entitled "Prolactin drives iron release from macrophages and uptake in mammary cancer cells through CD44" was published by Int. J. Mol. Sci.
In an iron-free co-culture environment, macrophages (with red cytoplasm indicating labile iron and blue nucleus) transfer their labile iron to breast cancer cells (which have green cytoplasm and blue nucleus), resulting in a yellow merged cytoplasm.
In the same iron-free co-culture environment, macrophages pre-treated with prolactin accumulate more labile iron and are also able to transfer this iron to breast cancer cells.
2024 June
June 17 2024
We are proud to report that Sy Bogutski wins the Top Tier (Ranked #1 among the whole nation) Portz Interdisciplinary Fellowship this year. This is also the first ever student at TTU receiving this top tier fellowship.
June 6 2024
Chen lab receives a 2-year grant (R03) from National Cancer Institute (NCI).
2024 May
May 17 2024
Among almost 400 honors students, here are the finalists accepted for the NCHC presentation. We got 3 spots!!
2024 APR
Apr 30 2024
I am advised to share this good news for "Nick gets an A in Physics and Trevor gets an A in Genetics". So here you go, boys.
Apr 29 2024
Nicholas Pascuzzi and Trevor Jones were promoted to "Matadors", the highest ranked title in the True Scholar Program.
Apr 19 2024
Dr. Chen is nominated and received the "SGA Open Educator Award". Only 3 TTU faclty were awarded this year (the other two winners are from Law school).
Apr 11 2024
Dr. Chen is nominated and received the "Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award". Only 3 faculty received the award this year.
Apr 11 2024
Sy Bogutski received the "best Abstract writing Award" and Nicholas Pascuzzi received "Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Award"
Apr 9-10 2024
Our students, Nicholas Pascuzzi, Sy Bogutski, Lilly Pearce, Anika Seelam, Diya Shah and Trevor Jones, presented their work at the TTU undergraduate research conference.
2024 March
Mar 29 2024
Chen lab receives a 4 year grant (R16, Support for Research Excellence)
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from National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).
Mar 29 2024
The undergraduate student, Sy Bogutski was nominated for Portz Fellowship. The Portz Fellowship is a prestigious fellowship program that selects six of the most honorable undergraduate researchers from the whole nation and each institution can only nominate one best student to represent the institution to compete the award. Great Job !!
Mar 2024
Our research work entitled "Prolactin simultaneously drives iron release from macrophages and uptake in mammary cancer cells through CD44" was submitted
2024 JANUARY ~FEBRUARY
Feb 23 2024
Chen Lab received a grant from "Undergraduate Research Experience
Program" to Nicholas Pascuzzi and Dr. Chen.
Feb 22 2024
The graduate student, Reagan Farrell, received "Graduate Student Research Award" with $1,500 from the University.
Jan 1 2024
The undergraduate student, Nicholas Pascuzzi, receives a college scholarship
2023
Dec 7 2023
Poster Presentation by Nicholas Pascuzzi and Reagan Farrell at SABCS
Nov 12 2023
Dr. Chen is nominated and received "Apple Polishing Award for Texas Tech Mortar Board"
Oct 18 2023
We will attend the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Nicholas Pascuzzi and Reagan Farrell will present the poster "Prolactin drives labile iron transfer from macrophages to breast cancer cells through CD44." Link to the abstract publication in Cancer Res (2024) 84 (9_Supplement): PO4-28-05.
Sep 1 2023
The Ph.D. student, Shakil Khan, receives a Distinguished Graduate Student Assistantship (DGSA) starting Fall 2023.
2022 AUGUST-DECEMBER
Oct 27 2022
Our paper "Tumor Cell-Derived Asymmetric Dimethylarginine Regulates Macrophage Functions and Polarization." is accepted by Cancer Cell International. (Impact factor: 6.439) Link to the paper
Sep 1 2022
We move to Texas Tech University. More research fun !!
Aug 28 2022
Our editorial article "Splice modulating oligomers as cancer therapeutics" is now published on Genes & Cancer. Link to the article
2020-2022 at Delta State University
Apr 13 2022
Zaida Laventure (master student in the lab) received admission to PhD program at Case Western Reserve University. AKaychia T. Lowery was admitted to the Ph.D. program at University of Mississippi Medical Center. Congratulations!!
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Apr 8-13 2022
We presented poster entitled "Tumor stem cell derived asymmetric dimethylarginine drives immune evasion via functional modulation of macrophages" at the American Association for Cancer Research 2022 in New Orleans. Link to the abstract
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Nov 12-14 2021
The graduate student, Zaida Laventure, will attend the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) and present a poster with the topic of Arginine metabolism and tumor immune evasion.
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Aug 7 2021
The ""Prolactin enhances T Regulatory Cell Promotion of Breast Cancer through the Long Form Prolactin Receptor" was now available online as eprint
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Aug 6 2021
The graduate student poster "Modulation of Macrophage Plasticity and polarization by Cancer Stem Cells" was selected as the top 20% abstract
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Aug 4-6 2021
We are attending and presenting at Mississippi Academy of Sciences (Symposium)
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Aug 3 2021
Our research work about tumor Tregs entitled "Prolactin enhances T Regulatory Cell Promotion of Breast Cancer through the Long Form Prolactin Receptor" was accepted by Translational Oncology today
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June 21 2021
The "Visceral adipose tissue imparts peripheral macrophage influx into the hypothalamus" is published
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May 27 2021
The "Sex differences in the immune system become evident in the perinatal period in the four core genotypes mouse" is published
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May 26 2021
Our research work entitled "Visceral adipose tissue imparts peripheral macrophage influx into the hypothalamus" is accepted by Journal of Neuroinflammation
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May 7 2021
Our research work entitled "Sex differences in the immune system become evident in the perinatal period in the four core genotypes mouse" is accepted by Frontiers in Endocrinology
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.582614
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Dec 2 2020
Our research work entitled "Sex Differences in Macrophage Responses to Obesity-Mediated Changes Determine Migratory and Inflammatory Traits" was accepted and published in Journal of Immunology.
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Oct 7 2020
Dr. Ethan Chen received a 3-year NIH INBRE Developmental grant (2020-2023)
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Aug 14 2020
Dr. Ethan Chen joined Delta State University