Meredith Morgan Laboratory

The main thrust of research in the Morgan laboratory is improving radiation and chemoradiation therapies through the development of novel molecularly targeted agents as tumor cell selective sensitizers, with a particular and emphasis on pancreatic cancer as well as lung and head neck cancers. This laboratory research program prioritizes pre-clinical research with strong clinical/translational relevance. The Morgan laboratory has unique expertise in the cell cycle, DNA damage response and repair, E3 ubiquitin ligases, and pancreatic cancer.

Select Publications

Inhibition of ATM increases interferon signaling and sensitizes pancreatic cancer to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. Zhang Q, Green MD, Lang X, Lazarus J, Parsels J, Wei S, Parsels LA, Shi J, Ramnath N, Wahl DR, Pasca di Magliano M, Frankel TL, Kryczek I, Lei Y, Lawrence TS, Zou W, Morgan MA. Cancer Res. 2019 May 17. pii: canres.0761.2019. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-19-0761. [Epub ahead of print]
Zhang Q, Lawrence T, Morgan MA*, Sun Y*. FBXW7 facilitates non-homologous end-joining via K63-linked polyubiquitylation of XRCC4. Molecular Cell 61:419-33, 2016. *Equal contribution
Zhang Q, Zhang Y, Parsels JD, Lohse I, Lawrence TS, Pasca di Magliano M, Sun Y, Morgan MA. Fbxw7 deletion accelerates Kras^G12D–driven tumorigenesis via Yap accumulation. Neoplasia 11:666-73, 2016.
Parsels L, Tanska D, Parsels J, Zabludoff S, Cuneo K, Lawrence T, Maybaum J*, Morgan M*. Dissociation of gemcitabine chemosensitization by CHK1 inhibition from G2 checkpoint abrogation. Cell Cycle 15:730-9, 2016. *Equal contribution
Kausar T, Schreiber J, Karnak D, Parsels LA, Parsels JD, Davis MA, Zhao L, Maybaum J, Lawrence TS, and Morgan MA. Sensitization of pancreatic cancers to gemcitabine-chemoradiation by WEE1 kinase inhibition depends on homologous recombination repair.Neoplasia 17:757-66, 2015.
Morgan MA and Lawrence TS. Molecular Pathways: Overcoming radiation resistance by targeting the DNA response pathways. Clin Cancer Res 21:2898-2904, 2015.
Wei D, Zhang Q, Schreiber J, Parsels LA, Abulwerdi FA, Kausar T, Lawrence TS, Sun Y, Nikolovska-Coleska Z and Morgan MA. Targeting Mcl-1 for radiosensitization of pancreatic cancers. Translational Oncology 8:47-54, 2015.
Karnak D, Engelke CG, Parsels LA, Kausar T, Wei D, Roberson JR, Marsh KB, Davis MA, Maybaum J, Lawrence TS, and Morgan MA. Combined inhibition of Wee1 and PARP1/2 for radiosensitization in pancreatic cancer. Clin Cancer Res 20:5085-96, 2014.
Morgan MA, Parsels LA, Maybaum J, and Lawrence TS: Improving the efficacy of chemoradiation with targeted agents Cancer Discovery 4:1-12, 2014.
Wei D, Parsels LA, Karnak D, Davis MA, Parsels JD, Marsh AC, Zhao L, Maybaum J, Lawrence TS, Sun Y, and Morgan MA. Inhibition of protein phosphatase 2A radiosensitizes pancreatic cancers by modulating CDC25C/CDK1 and homologous recombination repair. Clin Cancer Res 19:4422-32, 2013.
Engelke CG, Parsels LA, Qian Y, Zhang Q, Karnak D, Robertson JR, Wei D, Davis MA, Parsels JD, Tanska DM, Zhao L, Lawrence TS, Maybaum J, and Morgan MA. Sensitization of pancreatic cancer to chemoradiation by the Chk1 inhibitor, MK8776. Clin Cancer Res, 19:4412-21, 2013. (Featured on cover)
Venkatesha VA, Parsels LA, Parsels JD, Zhao L, Zabludoff SD, Simeone D, Maybaum J, Lawrence TS, and Morgan MA. Sensitization of pancreatic cancer stem cells to gemcitabine by Chk1 inhibition. Neoplasia, 14:519-25, 2012.
Vance S, Liu E, Zhao L, Parsels J, Parsels L, Brown J, Maybaum J, Lawrence T, and Morgan M. Selective radiosensitization of p53 mutant pancreatic cancer cells by combined inhibition of Chk1 and PARP1. Cell Cycle, 10:4321-29, 2011.
Parsels L, Qian Y, Tanska D, Gross M, Zhao L, Hassan M, Arumugarajah S, Parsels J, Hylander-Gans L, Simeone D, Morosini D, Zabludoff S, Maybaum J, Lawrence T, and Morgan M. Chk1 phosphorylation as a pharmacodynamic biomarker of Chk1 inhibition. Clin Cancer Res,17:3706-15, 2011.