Olga Razorenova – Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Stem Cell Research Center

Associate Professor

Key Research Area

Cancer Biology is the main area of research in my lab. We approach Cancer Biology in many ways, including studies of tumor suppressors and oncogenes in cancer cells, as well as studies of tumor cell microenvironment (especially hypoxia). Our ultimate goal is to find critical molecular targets expressed by cancer cells for therapy design.

Education

2000, MS in Genetics/Molecular Genetics with honors, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.

2006, PhD in Molecular Biology/Cancer Biology, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Moscow, Russia.

Professional Bio

1995 –2000	Undergraduate student, Department of Genetics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia (Research Advisor: Dr. Alexander I. Kim). Diploma research: “Studies of Drosophila melanogaster genome instability caused by transpositions of retrovirus gypsy”. Acquired degree (2000) – MS.
1998 – 2000	Research Fellow, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Moscow, Russia (Research Advisor: Akad. Yuri V. Il’in). Project: Compared the structure of retrovirus gypsy in different Drosophila melanogaster stocks.
2000 – 2003	Graduate student, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Moscow, Russia (Research Advisor: Dr. Peter M. Chumakov). Dissertation: “Studies of relationships of p53-dependent signal transduction pathway with other pathways of stress response”. Acquired degree (2006) – PhD.
2001 – 2003	Research Fellow, Department of Molecular Genetics, Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic (Research Advisor: Dr. Peter M. Chumakov). Projects: Assessed the functionality of p53 pathway in melanoma and renal carcinoma cell lines. Developed a series of cell-based readout systems for measuring p53, HIF-1 or HSF-1 transcriptional activity.
2003 – 2006	Research Fellow, Department of Molecular Cardiology, Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic (Research Advisor: Dr. Tatiana V. Byzova). Projects: Dissected the regulation of outside-in β₃ integrin signaling in normal endothelium and cancer. Investigated the consequences of impaired integrin signaling in immortalized lymphocytes of patients, characterized by LAD-III (leukocyte adhesion deficiency) syndrome.
2006 – 2011	Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine (Research Advisor: Dr. Amato J. Giaccia). Projects: Established the role of CDCP1 protein in renal cancer progression. Conducted the screening and identified the drugs being synthetically lethal to VHL loss in CC-RCC.
2011 – 2012	Basic Life Science Research Associate, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine (Research Advisor: Dr. Amato J. Giaccia). Projects: Dissecting the role of CDCP1 protein in ovarian cancer metastasis. Testing the strategies to block CDCP1 signaling. Exploring the regulation of ARC protein by hypoxia and its contribution in apoptosis resistance in cancer.
2012 – 2018	Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine Projects: Establishment of the role of CDCP1 protein in initiation and progression of breast cancer. Screening for hypoxia-inducible pathways contributing to tumor progression and metastasis.
2018- present	Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California, Irvine Projects: Establishment of the role of CDCP1 protein in cell metabolism of breast cancer. Validation of therapeutic targets and respective small molecules for the cure of VHL-deficient kidney cancer (Synthetic lethality).