Education: 

M.S., Biotechnology, Agriculture University in Szczecin (now: West Pomeranian University of Technology), Szczecin, Poland; 2003
Ph.D., Biology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland; 2009
Research Associate, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland; 2009-2010
Postdoctoral Fellowship, Brown Cancer Center, University of Louisville; 2010-2017

Curriculum Vitae

Current Positions:

Instructor, Brown Cancer Center

Contact Information: 

Clinical & Translational Research Building, Room 227D
Brown Cancer Center
Department of Medicine
University of Louisville
505 South Hancock Street
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: (502)852-1203
Fax: (502)852-7979

Email: gabriela.schneider@louisville.edu

Research Description:

Dr. Schneider’s research interest in focused on identification and characterization of biomolecules that play a role in cancer progression and metastasis as well as in regulating cancer stem cell biology. In her studies, she is combining biochemical and biological approaches with the goal of translating findings to the clinical models.  Her current work is focusing on two areas:

 Application of differential scanning calorimetry for diagnosis of patients

Together with Dr. Garbett, Dr. Schneider is working on an application of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) for detection and monitoring of patients with lung cancer and lupus. These studies are focused on identification and characterization of differences in plasma termogram profiles that would allow for diagnosis of patients and monitoring of their response to treatment. Moreover, several complementary approaches will be applied to investigate the possible mechanisms that lead to changes in thermogram profiles such as differences in the abundance of proteins or their posttranslational modifications.  

 The role of DLK1 in the regulation of cancer stem cell biology

Dr. Schneider’s work led to the identification of changes in genomic imprinting of DLK1-MEG3 locus in rhabdomyosarcoma and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and pointed to their role in diagnosis and patient survival prediction. Her research allowed for developing an easy PCR-based assay to phenotype embryonal (ERMS) and alveolar (ARMS) rhabdomyosarcoma based on the methylation of imprinted regions within DLK1-MEG3 locus. Moreover, differences in methylation within DLK1-MEG3 locus were found to have a prognostic value for survival of patients with AML. These studies also identify the paternally-expressed Delta-like homologue 1 (DLK1) as a prognostic factor for AML survival and thus indicate that DLK1 could be a potential therapeutic target. Additionally, obtained results suggest that DLK1 expression positively correlates with higher resistance to treatment of cancer cells, which are most likely cancer stem cells. Therefore her work is now focusing on identification of potential interacting partner(s) of DLK1 that could modulate the biology of cancer cells, focusing on properties characteristic for cancer stem cells such as pluripotency and self-renewal.  

Literature Cited:

1. SchneiderG, Bowser MJ, Shin DM, Barr FG, Ratajczak MZ.  The paternally imprinted DLK1-GTL2 locus is differentially methylated in embryonal and alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas.  International Journal of Oncology 2014 Jan;44(1):295-300.  PMID: 24173021.  PMCID: PMC3867365.
2. Ratajczak MZ, Schneider G, Sellers ZP, Kucia M, Kakar SS.  The embryonic rest hypothesis of cancer development – an  old XIX century theory revised.   Journal of Cancer Stem Cell Research 2014;2:e1001.  doi: 10.14343/JCSCR.2014.2e1001.  [ http://cancerstemcellsresearch.com/resources/pdf/JCSCR-2014-2e1001.pdf ]
3. Schneider G, Sellers ZP, Ratajczak MZ.  Parentally imprinted genes regulate hematopoiesis-new evidence from the Dlk1-Gtl2 locus.  Stem Cell Investigations 2016 Jul 22;3:29.  doi: 10.21037/sci.2016.06.09. eCollection 2016. PMID: 27580759.
4. Schneider G, Bryndza E, Poniewierska-Baran A, Serwin K, Suszynska M, Sellers ZP, Merchant ML, Kaliappan A, Ratajczak J, Kucia M, Garbett NC, Ratajczak MZ.  Evidence that vitronectin is a potent migration-enhancing factor for cancer cells chaperoned by fibrinogen: a novel view of the metastasis of cancer cells to low-fibrinogen lymphatics and body cavities.  Oncotarget 2016 Oct 25;7(43):69829-43.  PMID: 27634880.  PMCID: PMC5342518.
5. Bolkun L, Grubczak K, Schneider G, Zembko P, Radzikowska U, Singh P, Kloczko J, Ratajczak MZ, Moniuszko M, Eljaszewicz A.  Involvement of BAFF and APRIL in resistance to apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia.  Journal of Cancer 2016 Sep 30;7(14):1979-83.  PMID: 27877213.  PCMID: PMC5118661.
6. Schneider G, Sellers ZP, Bujko K, Kakar SS, Kucia M, Ratajczak MZ.  Novel pleiotropic effects of bioactive phospholipids in human lung cancer metastasis.  Oncotarget 2017 Apr 27;8(35):58247-63.  PMID: 28938552.  PMCID: PMC5601648.
7. Sellers ZP, Schneider G, Suszynska M, Bujko K, Pedziwiatr D.  Do cancer cell lines have fixed or fluctuating stem cell phenotypes? - Studies with the NTera2 cell line. Stem Cell Reviews 2017 Oct;13(5):603-10.  doi: 10.1007/s120150-017-9743-3.  PMID: 28624968.
8. Sellers ZP, Schneider G, Maj M, Ratajczak MZ.  Analysis of the paternally-imprinted DLK1-MEG3 and IGF2-H19 tandem gene loci in NT2 embryonal carcinoma cells identifies DLK1 as a potential therapeutic target.  Stem Cell Reviews 2018Jul 6. doi: 10.1007/s12015-018-9838-5.  PMID: 29980981.

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