Rosemary J. Akhurst, PhD

Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, UK, BSc (Hons), 1st class, 1975-1978, Biochemistry
Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow, UK, PhD, 1978-1981, Molecular Biology

• 1982-1984
  Post-doctoral fellow, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
• 1984-1988
  Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London University, UK
• 1988-1990
  Lecturer, Department of Medical Genetics, Glasgow University, UK
• 1990-1992
  Senior Lecturer, Department of Medical Genetics, Glasgow University, UK
• 1992-1996
  Reader, Department of Medical Genetics, Glasgow University, UK
• 1997-1999
  Senior Scientist, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Richmond, CA
• 1999-2004
  Research Scientist, Cancer Research Institute, UCSF
• 2004-2007
  Adjunct Professor, Dept of Anatomy and Cancer Research Institute, UCSF
• 2007-present
  Professor In Residence, Dept of Anatomy and Cancer Research Institute, UCSF

• 1975, 1976
  Imperial College Entrance Scholarship
• 1978
  Ewart Stickings Award for Excellence in Biochemistry (Top Biochemistry Student, Imperial College, London)
• 1978
  Associate of the Royal College of Science
• 1982-4
  European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) Fellowship Award
• 1984
  "New Blood" Lectureship, London University, UK
• 2005-2010
  American Heart Association - National Center -Vascular Wall Biology 1 Study Group

• Oft, M., Akhurst, R.J. & Balmain, A. (2002) Elevated levels of activated Smad2 and H-ras control epithelial-mesenchymal transformation, tumor cell extravasation and metastasis. Nature Cell Biology 4(7):487-94.
• Lacher, M.D., Tiirikainen, M.I., Saunier, E.F., Christian, C., Anders, M., Oft, M., Balmain, A., Akhurst, R.J. and Korn, W.M. (2006) TGFβ Receptor Inhibition Enhances Adenoviral Infectivity of Carcinoma Cells Via Up-regulation of CAR in Conjunction with Reversal of Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Transition. Cancer Res. 66:1648-57.
• Akhurst, R.J. Large and small molecule inhibitors of TGFβ in cancer therapy (2006). Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs 7, 513-521.
• Mao, J-H., Saunier, E.F., de Koning, J., McKinnon, M.M., Higgins, M.N., Nicklas, K., Yang, H-T., Balmain, A. and Akhurst, R.J. (2006) Genetic variants of Tgfb1 act as context-dependent modifiers of mouse skin tumor susceptibility. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (USA) 103(21):8125-30. PMC1472440
• Derynck, R. and Akhurst, R.J. Differentiation plasticity regulated by TGF-β family proteins in development and disease. (2007) Nature Cell Biol, 9(9):1000-4.
• Kang, J.S., Saunier, E.F., Akhurst, R.J. and Derynck, R. (2008) The type I TGF-β receptor is covalently modified and regulated by sumoylation. Nature Cell Biology 10(6):654-64. PMC2649123
• Barcellos-Hoff, M.H. and Akhurst, R.J. TGF-β in breast cancer: Too much, too late. (2009) Breast Cancer Research.11, 202. PMC2687712
• Harradine, K.A., Ridd, K, Saunier, E.F., Clermont, F.F., Perez-Losada, J., Moore, D. H., Epstein Jr., E. H. Bastian, B. C. and Akhurst, R. J. (2009) Elevated cutaneous Smad activation associates with enhanced skin tumor susceptibility in organ transplant recipients. Clinical Cancer Research. 15:5101-7. PMC2812428:
• Akhurst, R. J. Taking thalidomide out of rehab. (2010) Nature Medicine 16(4):370-2. PMID: 20376039
• Connolly, E., Saunier, E., Quigley, D., Luu, M.T., de Sapio, A. Yingling, J and Akhurst, R. J. (2011) Outgrowth of Drug-Resistant Carcinomas Expressing Markers of Tumor Aggression after Long-term TβRI/II Kinase Inhibition with LY2109761.Cancer Research 71(6):2339-49, PMC3059399.
• Bouquet, F., Pal, A., Pilones, K. A., Demaria, S., Hann, B., Akhurst, R. J., Babb, J. S., Lonning, S. M., DeWyngaert, J. K., Formenti, S. C., Barcellos-Hoff. M.H. (2011) Transforming growth factor β1 inhibition increases the radiosensitivity of breast cancer cells in vitro and promotes tumor control by radiation in vivo. Clinical Cancer Research 17(21):6754-65.
• Connolly, E.C. and Akhurst, R.J. The Complexities of TGF-β Action During Mammary and Squamous Cell Carcinogenesis. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. (2011) [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 21619543
• Arnold, T., Ferrero, G., Qiu, H., Phan, I., Akhurst, R.J., Huang, E. and Reichardt, L. (2011) Defective retinal vascular endothelial cell development as a consequence of impaired Integrin β8-mediated activation of transforming growth factor-β J. Neuroscience in press
• Lamouille, S., Connolly, E., Smyth, J., Akhurst, R. J. and Derynck, R. (2011) TGF-β-induced activation of mTOR complex 2 drives epithelial-mesenchymal transition and invasion. J. Cell Sci. in press.
• Benzinou, M., Clermont, F. F., Letteboer, T. G., Kim, H.J., Espejel, S., Harradine, K. A., Arbelaez, J., Luu, M. T., Roy, R., Quigley, D., Higgins, M.N., Zaid, M., Aouizerat, B., Ploos van Amstel, J. K. , Giraud, S. , Dupuis-Girod, S., Lesca, G., Plauchu, H., Hughes, C.C., Westermann, C.J.J. and Akhurst, R.J. (2011) Mouse and human strategies identify PTPN14 as a modifier of angiogenesis and Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia. Nature Communications in press