Loukia G. Karacosta, Ph.D.
Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, Division of Diagnostic Imaging
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Graduate Faculty, Department of Quantitative Science Program, Division of Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Graduate Faculty, Department of Quantitative Science Program, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
Assistant Professor, Department of Cancer Systems Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Research Interests
Leveraging cancer systems biology approaches and
single-cell technologies like mass cytometry (CyTOF) and multiplexed imaging,
to interrogate phenotypic plasticity and the spatiotemporal dynamics that drive
therapy resistance in the tumor microenvironment
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2013 | School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences University at Buffalo, SUNY, Buffalo, New York, US, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ph.D |
| 2006 | National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, GR, Biology, BS |
Postgraduate Training
| 2015-2019 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Stanford University, Stanford, California |
| 2013-2015 | Postdoctoral Fellow, For-Robin Therapeutics, Buffalo, New York |
Experience & Service
Other Appointments/Responsibilities
Basic Life Research Scientist, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 2019 - 2020
Honors & Awards
| 2020 - 2025 | UT Rising Star, The University of Texas System |
| 2019 | Best Collaborative Research Project Proposal for a Prospective 1 year funding by the Cancer Systems Biology Consortium/U54 Grant Center, Cancer Systems Biology Consortium/U54 Grant Center, 1st Annual West Coast Symposium |
| 2018 | Scholar in Training Award, AACR Annual Meeting |
| 2017 | Poster Award, Stanford’s Center for Cancer Systems Biology Annual Symposium |
| 2017 | Travel Award, 8th International EMT Meeting |
| 2012 | Invited to attend the ASPET Best Abstract Competition, Experimental Biology 2012 |
| 2012 | Travel Award, ASPET Annual Meeting |
| 2012 | Second Place for Outstanding Poster Presentation among Graduate Students, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Mini-Research Symposium |
| 2011 | Allen Barnett Graduate Student Travel Award, Graduate Students at the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Mini-Research Symposium |
| 2011 | Poster Award, Sigma Xi Research Day |
| 2011 | Second Place for Oral Presentation, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY |
| 2008 | Outstanding Academic Performance Award, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo |
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Karacosta LG, Pancirer D, Preiss JS, Benson JA, Trope W, Shrager JB, Sung AW, Neal JW, Bendall SC, Wakelee H, Plevritis SK. Phenotyping EMT and MET cellular states in lung cancer patient liquid biopsies at a personalized level using mass cytometry. Sci Rep 13(1):21781, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 38065965.
- Adler FR, Anderson ARA, Bhushan A, Bogdan P, Bravo-Cordero JJ, Brock A, Chen Y, Cukierman E, DelGiorno KE, Denis GV, Ferrall-Fairbanks MC, Gartner ZJ, Germain RN, Gordon DM, Hunter G, Jolly MK, Karacosta LG, Mythreye K, Katira P, Kulkarni RP, Kutys ML, Lander AD, Laughney AM, Levine H, Lou E, Lowenstein PR, Masters KS, Pe'er D, Peyton SR, Platt MO, Purvis JE, Quon G, Richer JK, Riddle NC, Rodriguez A, Snyder JC, Lee Szeto G, Tomlin CJ, Yanai I, Zervantonakis IK, Dueck H. Modeling collective cell behavior in cancer: Perspectives from an interdisciplinary conversation. Cell Syst 14(4):252-257, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37080161.
- Bhattacharyya S, Ehsan SF, Karacosta LG. Phenotypic maps for precision medicine: a promising systems biology tool for assessing therapy response and resistance at a personalized level. Front Netw Physiol 3:1256104, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37964768.
- Ghazal D, Zalzala F, Fisk JC, Tati S, Karacosta LG, Morey S, Olson JR, Quataert S, Dy GK, Rittenhouse-Olson K. Therapeutic efficacy of the humanized JAA-F11 anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich antibody constructs H2aL2a and H3L3 in human breast and lung cancer xenograft models. Oncotarget 13:1155-1164, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36264086.
- Bouchard G, Garcia-Marques F, Karacosta LG, Zhang W, Bermudez A, Riley N, Mehl L, Benson J, Shrager J, Bertozzi C, Pitteri S, Giaccia A, Plevritis S. Multi-Omics Analysis of Fibroblasts from the Invasive Tumor Edge Reveals that Tumor-Stroma Crosstalk Induces O-glycosylation of the CDK4-pRB Axis. Cancer Research 82(4):648-664, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34853070.
- Karacosta LG. From imaging a single cell to implementing precision medicine: an exciting new era. Emerg Top Life Sci 5(6):837-847, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 3488944.
- Karacosta LG, Anchang B, Ignatiadis N, Kimmey SC, Benson JA, Shrager JB, Tibshirani R, Bendall SC, Plevritis SK. Mapping lung cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition states and trajectories with single-cell resolution. Nat Commun 10(1):5587, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31811131.
- Menden MP, Wang D, Mason MJ, Szalai B, Bulusu KC, Guan Y, Yu T, Kang J, Jeon M, Wolfinger R, Nguyen T, Zaslavskiy M, DREAM Consortium ADC, Karacosta LG, Jang IS, Ghazoui Z, Ahsen ME, Vogel R, Chaibub Neto E, Norman T, Tang EKY, Garnett MJ, Di Veroli DY, Fawell S, Stolovitzky G, Guinney J, Dry JR, Saez-Rodriguez J. Community assessment to advance computational prediction of cancer drug combinations in a pharmacogenomic screen. Nat Commun 10(1):2674, 2019. e-Pub 2019. PMID: 31209238.
- Tati S, Fisk JC, Abdullah J, Karacosta L, Chrisikos T, Philbin P, Morey S, Ghazal D, Zazala F, Jessee J, Quataert S, Koury S, Moreno D, Eng JY, Glinsky VV, Glinskii OV, Sesay M, Gebhard AW, Birthare K, Olson JR, Rittenhouse-Olson K. Corrigendum to "Humanization of JAA-F11, a Highly Specific Anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich Pancarcinoma Antibody and In Vitro Efficacy Analysis". Neoplasia 19(9):716-733, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29277397.
- Anchang B, Davis KL, Fienberg HG, Williamson BD, Bendall SC, Karacosta LG, Tibshirani R, Nolan GP, Plevritis SK. DRUG-NEM: Optimizing drug combinations using single-cell perturbation response to account for intratumoral heterogeneity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 115(18):E4294-E4303, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29654148.
- Karacosta LG, Fisk JC, Jessee J, Tati S, Turner B, Ghazal D, Ludwig R, Johnson H, Adams J, Sajjad M, Koury S, Roy R, Olson JR, Rittenhouse-Olson K. Preclinical Analysis of JAA-F11, a Specific Anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich Antibody via Immunohistochemistry and In Vivo Imaging. Transl Oncol 11(2):450-466, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29477636.
- Tati S, Fisk JC, Abdullah J, Karacosta LG, Chrisikos T, Philbin P, Morey S, Ghazal D, Zazala F, Jessee J, Quataert S, Koury S, Moreno D, Eng JY, Glinsky VV, Glinskii OV, Sesay M, Gebhard AW, Birthare K, Olson JR, Rittenhouse-Olson K. Humanization of JAA-F11, a Highly Specific Anti-Thomsen-Friedenreich Pancarcinoma Antibody and In Vitro Efficacy Analysis. Neoplasia 19(9):716-733, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28830009.
- Toumazis I, Kurt M, Toumazi A, Karacosta LG, Kwon C. Comparative Effectiveness of Up-to-Three Lines of Chemotherapy Treatment Plans for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. MDM Policy & Practice 2(2), 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 30288431.
- Gocher AM, Azabdaftari G, Euscher LM, Dai S, Karacosta LG, Franke TF, Edelman AM. Akt activation by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2 (CaMKK2) in ovarian cancer cells. J Biol Chem 292(34):14188-14204, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28634229.
- Karacosta LG, Kuroski LA, Hofmann WA, Azabdaftari G, Mastri M, Gocher AM, Dai S, Hoste AJ, Edelman AM. Nucleoporin 62 and Ca(2+)/calmodulin dependent kinase kinase 2 regulate androgen receptor activity in castrate resistant prostate cancer cells. Prostate 76(3):294-306, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26552607.
- Karacosta LG, Foster BA, Azabdaftari G, Feliciano DM, Edelman AM. A Regulatory Feedback Loop Between Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Kinase 2 (CaMKK2) and the Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Progression. Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) 287(29):24832-24842, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22654108.
Abstracts
- Karacosta LG, Bhattacharyya S, Stewart A, Victorian A, Lujan EF, Ehsan S, Kim S, Duarte A, Wang R, Anchang B, Wang J, Byers L. Leveraging mass cytometry for phenotyping CTCs in SCLC liquid biopsies: Tracking therapy resistance at a personalized level 30(21 Supplement), 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Stewart C, Groves SM, Wang R, Ramkumar K, Xi Y, Diao L, Serrano AG, Tanimoto A, Victorian AM, Bhattacharyya S, Halliday AJ, Kalhor N, Soto LM, DaRocha PF, Vokes N, Karacosta LG, Wang J, Heymach JV, Quaranta V, Glisson B, Byers A, Gay CM. YAP1 defines a highly plastic, persister cell population in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) following relapse. Cancer Research, 2024. e-Pub 2024.
- Bhattacharyya S, Stewart CA, Victorian AM, Ehsan SF, Lujan EF, Duarte A, Heymach JV, Wang J, Byers LA, LGKaracosta LG. Mapping therapy resistant phenotypes in SCLC liquid biopsies with single-cell proteomics at a personalized level 22(12 Supplement):LB B05, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Karacosta LG, Pancier D, Preiss J, Shranger JB, Sung AW, Neal JW, Bendall SC, Wakelee H, Plevritis SK. Phenotyping Malignant Pleural Effusions with Mass Cytometry: Evidence of EMT and MET States in Late-Stage NSCLC 17(9 Supplement):S577-S578, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Karacosta LG, Anchang B, Ignatiadis N, Kimmey SC, Benson JA, Shrager JA, Tibshirani R, Bendall SC, Plevritis SK. A Single-Cell Resolution Map of EMT and Drug Resistance States for Evaluating NSCLC Clinical Specimens 14(10):S226-S227, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Anchang B, Davis K, Fienberg H, Bendall S, Karacosta LG, Nolan G, Plevritis SK. Individualized drug combination based on single-cell drug perturbations 78(13 Supplement):2275, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Karacosta LG, Anchang B, Kimmey S, van de Rijn M, Shrager JB, Bendall SC, Plevritis SK. Identifying dynamic EMT states and constructing a proteomic EMT landscape of lung cancer using single cell multidimensional analysis 78(13 Supplement):4997, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Karacosta LG, Johnson H, Abdullah J, Chrisikos T, Ludwig R, Turner B, Tati S, Ghazal D, Sajjad M, Koury S, Morey S, Adams J, Rittenhouse-Olson K. Immunohistochemistry and radioimaging with hJAA-11 antibody to the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen: Potential theranostic application for breast cancer 76(14 Supplement):576, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Gocher AM, Azabdaftari G, Karacosta LG, Franke TF, Edelman AM. CaMKK2 activates oncogenic Akt in ovarian cancer cells and is a promising therapeutic target 30(1 Supplement):714.8, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Gocher AM, Franke TF, Azabdaftari G, Karacosta LG, Edelman AM. Regulation of Akt activity, cell proliferation and viability in ovarian cancer cells by Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 14(7), 2015. e-Pub 2015.
- Karacosta LG, Foster BA, Azabdaftari G, Feliciano DM, Edelman AM. CaMKK2 regulates cellular proliferation and androgen receptor activity during prostate cancer progression. Cancer Research 72(4):A10, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2024. Monitoring Therapy Resistance in Longitudinal SCLC Liquid Biopsies with Mass Cytometry. Conference. GCC Single and Spatial Cell Omics Symposium. Houston, TX, US.
- 2024. Mapping EMT and Therapy Resistant Phenotypes in Lung Cancer Primary Tumors & Liquid Biopsies with Mass Cytometry. Conference. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, US.
- 2022. Leveraging Single-Cell Proteomics for Mapping Therapy-Driven Phenotypes in Lung Cancer Solid Tumors and Liquid Biopsies. Conference. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, US.
- 2020. A Phenotypic State Map for Assessing Disease Progression and Therapy Response in Lung Cancer: Lessons from Dynamic Single-Cell Analysis. Conference. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, US.
- 2017. Identifying Dynamic EMT Transition States and Constructing a Proteomic EMT Landscape of Lung Cancer Using Single-Cell Multidimensional Analysis. Conference. The 8th International EMT Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
Regional Presentations
- 2023. Mapping phenotypic plasticity and therapy resistance in SCLC clinical specimens and patient-derived tumor organoids. Conference. UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. Galveston, TX, US.
- 2022. Delineating the Role of Phenotypic Plasticity in Therapy Resistance in the Lung Tumor Microenvironment: A Cancer Systems Approach. Conference. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Galveston, TX, US.
- 2014. Nanog Restores the Lost Myogenic Capacity of Senescent Stem Cells. Conference. BMES. San Antonio, TX, US.
National Presentations
- 2024. Leveraging mass cytometry for phenotyping CTCs in SCLC liquid biopsies: Tracking therapy resistance at a personalized level. Conference. AACR Special Conference: Liquid Biopsy: From Discovery to Clinical Implementation. San Diego, CA, US.
- 2023. Mapping therapy resistant phenotypes in SCLC liquid biopsies with single-cell proteomics at a personalized level. Conference. AACR-NCO-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. Boston, MD, US.
- 2019. Mapping Lung Cancer Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition States and Trajectories with Single-Cell Resolution. Invited. Cancer Systems Biology Consortium, 1st Annual West Coast Symposium. Portland, OR, US.
- 2018. Identifying Dynamic EMT States and Constructing a Proteomic EMT Landscape of Lung Cancer Using Single-Cell Multidimensional Analysis. Conference. Stanford Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB). Stanford, CA, US.
- 2018. Individualized drug combination based on single-cell drug perturbations. Conference. AACR. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2018. Identifying dynamic EMT states and constructing a proteomic EMT landscape of lung cancer using single cell multidimensional analysis. Invited. AACR. Chicago, IL, US.
- 2017. Identifying Dynamic EMT Transition States in Lung Cancer Using Single-Cell Multidimensional Analysis. Conference. Stanford Center for Cancer Systems Biology (CCSB) 5th Annual Symposium. Stanford, CA, US.
- 2017. Identifying Dynamic EMT Transition States in Lung Cancer Using Single-Cell Multidimensional Analysis. Invited. Keystone Symposium. Big Sky, MT, US.
- 2016. Immunohistochemistry and radioimaging with hJAA-11 antibody to the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen: Potential theranostic application for breast cancer. Conference. AACR Annual Meeting. New Orleans, LA, US.
- 2015. Optimization of palliative chemotherapy scheduling for metastatic colorectal cancer patients. Conference. Healthcare Systems Process Improvement Conference. Orlando, FL, US.
- 2014. Regulation of Akt activity, cell proliferation and viability in ovarian cancer cells by Ca2+/Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase 2. Conference. AACR Special Conference. Philadelphia, PA, US.
- 2013. Nanog enhances the proliferation and reverses the effect of senescence on myogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Conference. The 16th Annual Graduate Student Research Symposium. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2013. The role of Nucleoporin 62 in Prostate Cancer. Conference. Mini-Research Symposium. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2013. A novel regulatory feedback loop between CaMKK2 and the Androgen Receptor in prostate cancer progression. Conference. 3rd Annual GU Research Retreat. Niagara Falls, NY, US.
- 2012. A regulatory feedback loop between CaMKK2 and the Androgen Receptor in prostate cancer progression. Conference. UNYPS Annual Meeting. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2012. CaMKK2 regulates cellular proliferation and androgen receptor activity during prostate cancer progression. Conference. ASPET Annual Meeting at Experimental Biology ’12. San Diego, CA, US.
- 2012. CaMKK2 regulates cellular proliferation and androgen receptor activity during prostate cancer progression. Conference. Advances in Prostate Cancer Research, AACR Special Conference. Orlando, FL, US.
- 2011. The role of CaMKK2 in Prostate Cancer: Identifying Ca2+/calmodulin–dependent kinase kinase 2 as a Novel Regulator of Prostate Cancer Progression. Conference. Mini-Research Symposium. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2011. The role of CaMKK2 in Prostate Cancer: Identifying Ca2+/calmodulin–dependent kinase kinase 2 as a Novel Regulator of Prostate Cancer Progression. Conference. Sigma Xi Research Day. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2010. The role of CaMKK2 in Prostate Cancer. Conference. Pharmacology Day at the University at Buffalo. Buffalo, NY, US.
International Presentations
- 2024. Leveraging Single-Cell Proteomics for Mapping Therapy Resistant Phenotypes in the Tumor Microenvironment of Lung Cancer Liquid Biopsies. Conference. Tumor Microenvironment and Cell Stress Conference. Paphos, CY.
- 2023. ASCT2 Inhibitor V-9302 and PD-1 Blockade Inhibits Glutamine Metabolism and Reduces Tumor Growth in Melanoma Mouse Model. Conference. WMIC.
- 2023. Mapping EMT and Therapy Resistant Phenotypes in Lung Cancer Tumors and Liquid Biopsies with Single-cell Proteomics. Invited. CyBioS Mini Symposium 2023 - CancerNow: From Benchside to Clinical Applications. Nicosia, CY.
- 2022. Evidence of an MET state in liquid biopsies of late-stage NSCLC patients. Invited. TEMTIA X. Paris, FR.
- 2022. Phenotyping Malignant Pleural Effusions with Mass Cytometry: Evidence of EMT and MET States in Late-Stage NSCLC. Conference. WCLC - World Conference on Lung Cancer. Vienna, AT.
- 2020. Power of One: Using Single Cells to Understand the Tumor-Immune Micro-environment. Invited. ASCO 2020 Virtual Education Program. Alexandria, US.
- 2019. A Single-Cell Resolution Map of EMT and Drug Resistance States for Evaluating NSCLC Clinical Specimens. Invited. World Conference on Lung Cancer. Barcelona, ES.
- 2019. A Single-Cell Resolution Map of EMT and Drug Resistance States in NSCLC. Invited. 2019 Annual Meeting and Conference of the Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB). Montreal, CA.
- 2007. Studying the mechanism of Ether Phospof action holipids with anti-cancer properties. Conference. 29th annual congress of the Hellenic Association of Biological Sciences. Kavala, GR.
- 2006. The effect of calcium on cell survival mechanisms. Conference. 28th annual congress of the Hellenic Association of Biological Sciences. Ioannina, GR.
Formal Peers
- 2023. Leveraging Single-Cell Proteomics and Systems Biology Approaches for Mapping EMT and Therapy Resistant Phenotypes in Cancer Specimens at a Personalized Level. Invited. Texas A & M University. College, TX, US.
- 2022. Leveraging Single-Cell Proteomics for Mapping Therapy-Driven Phenotypes in Solid Tumors and Liquid Biopsies from Cancer Patients. Invited. Indian Institute of Science. Bengaluru, IN.
- 2022. Constructing Single-cell Proteomic Maps for Assessing Disease Progression and Therapy Response in Lung Cancer Patients. Invited. Front Line Genomics. London, GB.
- 2022. Dissecting Phenotypic Plasticity in the Lung Tumor Microenvironment One Cell at a Time. Invited. University of Buffalo. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2021. Mapping Dynamic Phenotypic States in Lung Cancer using CyTOF: In Depth Views on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Drug Resistance. Invited. Cyprus Biological Society. Nicosia, CY.
- 2019. Mapping Lung Cancer Phenotypic States using CyTOF: In Depth Insights on Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Drug Resistance. Invited. Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Genetics & Genomics Seminar Series. Buffalo, NY, US.
- 2019. Constructing a Phenotypic State Map for Assessing Disease Progression and Therapy Response in Lung Cancer: Lessons from Dynamic Single-Cell Analysis. Invited. The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Houston, TX, US.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2025 - 2025 |
| Title: | Tumor cell surface targeting of high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas |
| Funding Source: | NETRF |
| Role: | Co-I |
| Date: | 2024 - 2025 |
| Title: | Cell surface targeting and molecular signatures associated with small cell lung cancer models of brain metastasis |
| Funding Source: | Andrew M. McDougall Brain Metastasis Clinic and Research Program |
| Role: | Co-I |
| Date: | 2024 - 2027 |
| Title: | LC230506: Mapping and Predicting Therapy Resistance in SCLC Liquid Biopsies at a Personalized Level |
| Funding Source: | DOD/Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (DOD/CDMRP) |
| Role: | PI |
| ID: | LC230506 |
| Date: | 2024 - 2029 |
| Title: | Targeting tumoral Lactobacillus iners to improve outcomes in cervical cancers |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| Date: | 2024 - 2025 |
| Title: | Investigating the relationship of RONS bursts and ICANS following CART-T cell therapy |
| Funding Source: | QIAC/QPR |
| Role: | PI |
| Date: | 2022 - 2027 |
| Title: | [18F]4FN PET Imaging of Innate Immunity Activation During Immunotherapy-Induced Adverse Events |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | R01CA273130 |
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified April 14, 2025