Stoyanova Lab News
Exciting News: Dr. Tanya Stoyanova receives 2025 Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation Pilot Award
Tanya Stoyanova, PhD, Associate Professor, at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is a 2025 NETRF Research Grant Award recipient!
Diagnosing gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) can be difficult, often requiring invasive procedures. Dr. Stoyanova’s research is exploring a new, less invasive approach—using a blood biomarker called UCHL1 to detect these tumors early.
This study will also investigate whether blocking UCHL1 could help slow tumor growth, offering a potential new treatment strategy. By making both diagnosis and therapy easier and more effective, this research could be a game-changer for patients.
This important work is generously sponsored by Katherine’s Light Foundation, LLC
Click the link below to learn more: https://netrf.org/…/uchl1-as-a-minimally-invasive…/
Exciting News: Dr. Shiqin (Laura) Liu awarded grant from Department of Defense to develop immunotherapy for small-cell lung cancer
Dr. Shiqin (Laura) Liu awarded grant from Department of Defense to develop immunotherapy for small-cell lung cancer
Dr. Shiqin Liu, assistant adjunct professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was awarded the Lung Cancer Concept Award from the Department of Defense to create new immune-based treatments for small-cell lung cancer, a highly aggressive form of lung cancer with limited treatment options.
While initial treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy often show promise managing the disease, they typically extend survival by only a few months. The cancer frequently returns with greater resistance, leaving patients with few options and a grim prognosis.
The award will support Liu’s efforts to develop a novel targeted immunotherapy for small-cell lung cancer. Liu is designing T cells engineered to target UCH-L1, a protein found at high levels in these tumors that plays a key role in helping the cancer grow and spread. The study will then test these engineered T cells to see how well they can find and kill cancer cells in preclinical models.
“This grant allows us to take a big step forward in developing a much-needed new treatment for small-cell lung cancer,” said Liu, who is a member of the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. “By targeting UCH-L1, we hope to develop a therapy that expands treatment options and improves outcomes for patients with lung cancer.”
The Lung Cancer Concept Award funds groundbreaking, high-risk, high-reward research that introduces innovative ideas, technologies, or approaches to lung cancer. This award supports early-stage studies designed to offer fresh insights or set the stage for future scientific breakthroughs.
See Full Article at: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/dr-shiqin-liu-awarded-grant-department-defense-develop
Mourena Villnanueva joins Dr. Stoyanova’s lab as an lab assistant!
Welcome to the lab, Mourena!
Exciting News: Chris Massey passed his qualifying examination and is now a PhD candidate
Chris Massey successfully completed his qualifying exam for his project developing Trop2-targeted diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. Congratulations!
Exciting News: Dr. Tanya Stoyanova is Elected as the Director at Large of SBUR
Dr. Tanya Stoyanova has been elected as the Director at Large of SBUR (Society For Basic Urologic Research)!
Congratulations Tanya!
Exciting News: Dr. Shiqin (Laura) Liu receives SBUR Travel Award
Dr. Shiqin (Laura) Liu receives the Travel Award for her research discoveries and poster “Shed Trop2 Extracellular Domain Signals through EGFR and Regulates Prostate Cancer Metastasis” at the Society for Basic Urological Research (SBUR) annual conference.
Congratulations, Laura!
Dr. Tanya Stoyanova gives a talk at 2024 SBUR on “UCHL1 as a Molecular Indicator and Therapeutic Target for Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer”
Dr. Tanta Stoyanova gave a talk on a project “UCHL1 as a Molecular Indicator and Therapeutic Target for Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer” at the 2024 SBUR annual meeting.
Reva Patel joins Dr. Stoyanova’s Lab as an undergraduate student from UCLA!
Welcome to the lab, Reva!
Ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 is a regulator of tumor growth and metastasis in double-negative prostate cancer
Stoyanova lab is excited to share our new publication on the American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Urology on identifying UCH-L1 as an important regulator of double-negative prostate cancer tumor growth and progression.
Congratulations, Dr. Shiqin (Laura) Liu and team!
Link to publication: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11578776/
