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Fields Cancer nanotherapies, stem cells and cancer, pulmonary Mycobacterium avium Institutions Lankenau Institute for Medical Research Alma mater Cornell University (PhD)
University of Delaware (BA) Institution Lankenau Institute for Medical Research | ||
Janet Sawicki is a cancer researcher and Deputy Director of the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR). Her research is focused on the preclinical development of treatments for cancers, including prostate, ovarian, cervical and pancreatic. She is most notable among cancer biologists for her extensive work on cancer nanotherapies.
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Education and career
Sawicki earned her B.A. in Biology from the University of Delaware in 1971 where she graduated magna cum laude. Her PhD in Genetics was earned at Cornell University in 1976.
She trained in classical Drosophila genetics and developmental biology at Cornell and at Yale University as a postdoctoral researcher, and then with Charles Epstein at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). While at UCSF, she expanded her research interests to gene regulation/expression in early mammalian development.
In 1981, Sawicki moved back to the mid-Atlantic area to work at the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, first as a research associate and then as Assistant Professor. She also served as Assistant Professor of Human Genetics in the Associated Faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine.
Cancer research
In 1990, Sawicki moved her lab to LIMR, where she and her team are developing new therapeutic strategies for improving the treatment of metastatic cancer. These strategies are based on the delivery of genetic material, specifically DNA and siRNA, exclusively to tumor cells, thus protecting healthy cells from damage. She was among the first to explore the use of non-viral vectors for the in vivo delivery of DNA.
Nanoparticles and HuR research
To carry the genetic material inside cancer cells, Sawicki and her collaborators use nanoparticles. Sawicki identified therapeutic targets and evaluated the efficacy of many nanoparticle formulations in various cancer mouse models, including for pancreatic cancer, as well as for highly aggressive forms of ovarian cancer for which no effective long-term treatment currently exists.
Sawicki also collaborates in research to develop and administer therapeutic agents that inhibit HuR, an RNA-binding protein that plays a crucial role in promoting the growth of tumors and the development of acquired drug resistance. These studies have contributed to an understanding of the role that HuR plays in regulating the expression of genes that help pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells survive.
Stem cells
Sawicki's research also entails identifying stem cells in normal developmental processes and the gene-expression profiles of those cells.
Mouse models
Sawicki is also known for her expertise in generating transgenic mice. Using this technology, she has developed several cancer mouse models useful for her lab’s studies, as well as those of other researchers investigating the role of selected genes in cancer initiation and progression.
Mycobacterium avium complex
In addition to her work on cancer and mouse models, Sawicki also is known for her work on pulmonary ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex (MAC) infection, a bacterial pathogen found in water and soil that can have profound effects on pulmonary function of infected patients. She is collaborating with pulmonologists at the Lankenau Medical Center to identify specific sources of MAC infection in the Philadelphia area, how hormonal status influences contraction of the disease, and what lifestyle measures patients can take to avoid re-exposure to MAC.
Awards
Sawicki's research has been funded by awards from the National Institutes of Health and the United States Department of Defense, as well as from private foundations.
In 2008, she was named a "Woman on the Move" by Main Line Today magazine.