Suhendan Ekmekcioglu, Ph.D.
Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine
About Dr. Ekmekcioglu
Dr. Suhendan Ekmekcioglu, PhD, is a Professor of the Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology. The major focus of her research is to recognize the inflammatory pathways in melanoma progression. Her early studies revealed that inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) and related pathways are major contributors in melanoma growth by modulating tumor inflammation. These studies further identified tumor-derived inflammation by specific cytokine/chemokine characteristics in tumor microenvironment which drives the process of melanoma progression. As a result of these early discoveries, her research expand the area in collaborating factors, which are the basis of her current scientific interest. Immune modulation strategy for the treatment of melanoma brings a strong hope, specifically, in combinational approaches. Thus, the research projects are designed to overcome melanoma cells’ contribution to tumor growth in an inflammatory microenvironment by inhibiting inflammation; and also boosting the immune activators in one cellular cascade, which will give a unique advantage in a clinical setting. The scientific rationale is based on the understanding that all tumor progression is characterized by a complex network of interactions among different cell types that cooperatively exploit a metabolic reprograming and mutually influence their functionality. Arginine metabolism is dependent on the activity within the families of, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and arginase (ARG) enzymes. Collectively, ARG and NOS enzymes are crucial components of immune suppression pathways, and the metabolic products of these enzymes are important moderators of T-cell function in cancer. Overall, the primary focus in her current research is to determine NO-produce effects on human melanoma cells and microenvironmental T- lymphocytes (TIL) to test the role of NOS driven arginine metabolism on the growth and immune function of the T cells, which will develop a novel area of research.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Professor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology - Research, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Associate Member, The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Affiliated with Cancer Biology and Immunology Programs, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 1993 | University of Istanbul, Istanbul, TUR, PHD, Tumor Biology and Immunology |
| 1988 | University of Istanbul, Istanbul, TUR, MS, Tumor Biology and Immunology |
| 1986 | University of Istanbul, Istanbul, TUR, BS, Biology |
Experience & Service
Academic Appointments
Associate Professor, Department of Melanoma Medical Oncology - Research, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2011 - 2015
Associate Professor, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2009 - 2010
Professional Memberships
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Fukuda Y, Bustos MA, Cho SN, Roszik J, Ryu S, Lopez VM, Burks JK, Lee JE, Grimm EA, Hoon DSB, Ekmekcioglu S. Correction: Interplay between soluble CD74 and macrophage-migration inhibitory factor drives tumor growth and influences patient survival in melanoma. Cell Death Dis 13(5):422, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35501311.
- Hailemichael Y, Johnson DH, Abdel-Wahab N, Foo WC, Bentebibel SE, Daher M, Haymaker C, Wani K, Saberian C, Ogata D, Kim ST, Nurieva R, Lazar AJ, Abu-Sbeih H, Fa'ak F, Mathew A, Wang Y, Falohun A, Trinh V, Zobniw C, Spillson C, Burks JK, Awiwi M, Elsayes K, Soto LS, Melendez BD, Davies MA, Wargo J, Curry J, Yee C, Lizee G, Singh S, Sharma P, Allison JP, Hwu P, Ekmekcioglu S, Diab A. Interleukin-6 blockade abrogates immunotherapy toxicity and promotes tumor immunity. Cancer Cell 40(5):509-523.e6, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35537412.
- Ogata D, Haydu L, Glitza I, Patel S, Hussein T, McQuade J, Diab A, Ekmekcioglu S, Wong M, Davies M, Amaria R.. The efficacy of anti-programmed cell death protein 1 therapy among patients with metastatic acral and metastatic mucosal melanoma. Cancer Medicine, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33686688.
- Ding Z., Ogata D., Roszik J., Qin Y., Kim S-H., Tetzlaff M., Lazar AJ., Davies MA., Ekmekcioglu S., Grimm EA.. iNOS Associates with AKT Activation and Poor Survival in Melanoma: A Role for Nitric Oxide in the PI3K-AKT Pathway Stimulation and PTEN S-Nitrosylation. Frontiers in Oncology 11, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33643925.
- Ahmed R, Muralidharan R, Srivastava A, Johnston SE, Zhao YD, Ekmekcioglu S, Anupama Munshi A, Ramesh R.. Molecular Targeting of HuR Oncoprotein Suppresses MITF and Induces Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells. Cancers 13(2):166, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33418925.
- Ogata D, Roszik J, Oba J, Kim SH, Bassett RL, Haydu LE, Tanese K, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S.,. The expression of CD74-regulated inflammatory markers in stage IV melanoma: Risk of CNS metastasis and patient survival. Cancers 12(12):1-13, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 33327409.
- Kim SH, Roszik J, Cho SN, Ogata D, Milton DR, Peng W, Menter DG, Ekmekcioglu S, and Grimm EA. The COX2 effector microsomal PGE2 synthase-1 is a regulator of immunosuppression in cutaneous melanoma. Clinical Cancer Research 25(5):1650-1663, 2019. PMID: 30538110.
- Ekmekcioglu S. Oxidative Biomarkers of Immuno-oncology. Turkish Journal of Immunology 7(3):132-136, 2019.
- Dal Yontem F, Kim SH, Ding Z, Grimm E, Ekmekcioglu S, Akcakaya H. Mitochondrial dynamic alterations regulate melanoma cell progression. J Cell Biochem 120:2098-2108, 2019. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30256441.
- Kim SH, Roszik J, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S. Impact of L-Arginine Metabolism on Immune Response and Anti-Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Oncol 8:67, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29616189.
- Gianni M, Qin Y, Wenes G, Bandstra B, Conley AP, Subbiah V, Leibowitz-Amit R, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, Roszik J.. High-Throughput Architecture for Discovering Combination Cancer Therapeutics. JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Roszik J, Tanese K, Ekmekcioglu S. Editorial: Targeting Metabolism in Cancer Immunotherapy. Front Immunol 9:2029, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30254633.
- Baba Y, Funakoshi T, Mori M, Emoto K, Masugi Y, Ekmekcioglu S, Amagai M, Tanese K. Expression of monoacylglycerol lipase as a marker of tumour invasion and progression in malignant melanoma. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28681540.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, Roszik J. Targeting iNOS to increase efficacy of immunotherapies. Hum Vaccin Immunother 13(5):1105-1108, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28121247.
- Tanese K, Funakoshi T, Yasuda F, Ohi Y, Fukuyama M, Arakawa H, Ekmekcioglu S, Saito M. Case of squamous cell carcinoma showing delayed metastasis and histologically exhibiting alterations of the surrounding immune cell populations along with the tumor invasion: Expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in deeply invaded tumor cells and interleukin-6 in surrounding histiocytes. J Dermatol 44(3):346-348, 2017. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27667796.
- Maturu P, Jones D, Ruteshouser EC, Hu Q, Reynolds JM, Hicks J, Putluri N, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, Dong C, Overwijk WW. Role of Cyclooxygenase-2 Pathway in Creating an Immunosuppressive Micro Environment and in Initiation and Progression of Wilms Tumor. Neoplasia 19(3):237-249, 2017. PMID: 28254151.
- Qin Y, Ekmekcioglu S, Forget MA, Szekvolgyi L, Hwu P, Grimm EA, Jazaeri AA, Roszik J. Cervical Cancer Neoantigen Landscape and Immune Activity Is Associated with Human Papillomavirus Master Regulators. Front Immunol 8:689, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28670312.
- Qin Y, Roszik J, Chattopadhyay C, Hashimoto Y, Liu C, Cooper ZA, Wargo JA, Hwu P, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA. Hypoxia-driven mechanism of vemurafenib resistance in melanoma. Mol Cancer Ther 15(10):2442-2454, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27458138.
- Bailey P, Chang DK, Forget MA, Lucas FA, Alvarez HA, Haymaker C, Chattopadhyay C, Kim SH, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, Biankin AV, Hwu P, Maitra A, Roszik J. Exploiting the neoantigen landscape for immunotherapy of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Sci Rep 6(35848):35848, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27762323.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Davies MA, Tanese K, Roszik J, Shin-Sim M, Bassett RL, Milton DR, Woodman SE, Prieto VG, Gershenwald JE, Morton DL, Hoon DS, Grimm EA. Inflammatory Marker Testing Identifies CD74 Expression in Melanoma Tumor Cells, and its Expression Associates with Favorable Survival for Stage III Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 22(12):3016-24, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26783288.
- Kim SH, Hashimoto Y, Cho SN, Roszik J, Milton DR, Dal F, Kim SF, Menter DG, Yang P, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA. Microsomal PGE2 synthase-1 promotes melanoma progression via regulating cell survival. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 29(3):297-308, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 26801201.
- Rai K, Akdemir KC, Kwong LN, Fiziev P, Wu CJ, Keung EZ, Sharma S, Samant NS, Williams M, Axelrad JB, Shah A, Yang D, Grimm EA, Barton MC, Milton DR, Heffernan TP, Horner JW, Ekmekcioglu S, Lazar AJ, Ernst J, Chin L. Dual Roles of RNF2 in Melanoma Progression. Cancer Discov 5(12):1314-27, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26450788.
- Tanese K, Hashimoto Y, Berkova Z, Wang Y, Samaniego F, Lee JE, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA. Cell Surface CD74-MIF Interactions Drive Melanoma Survival in Response to Interferon-γ. J Invest Dermatol 135(11):2775-84, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 26039541.
- Qin Y, Milton DR, Oba J, Ding Z, Lizée G, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA. Inflammatory IL-1β-driven JNK activation in stage III melanoma. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 28(2):236-9, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25546243.
- Maturu P, Overwijk WW, Hicks J, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, Huff V. Characterization of the inflammatory microenvironment and identification of potential therapeutic targets in wilms tumors. Transl Oncol 7(4):484-92, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24969538.
- Hong DS, Garrido-Laguna I, Ekmekcioglu S, Falchook GS, Naing A, Wheler JJ, Fu S, Moulder SL, Piha-Paul S, Tsimberidou AM, Wen Y, Culotta KS, Anderes K, Davis DW, Liu W, George GC, Camacho LH, Percy Ivy S, Kurzrock R. Dual inhibition of the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway: a phase 1 trial evaluating bevacizumab and AZD2171 (cediranib) in patients with advanced solid tumors. Cancer 120(14):2164-73, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24752867.
- Wang Y, Hu S, Gabisi AM, Er JA, Pope A, Burstein G, Schardon CL, Cardounel AJ, Ekmekcioglu S, Fast W. Developing an irreversible inhibitor of human DDAH-1, an enzyme upregulated in melanoma. ChemMedChem 9(4):792-7, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24574257.
- Lopez-Rivera E, Jayaraman P, Parikh F, Davies MA, Ekmekcioglu S, Izadmehr S, Milton DR, Chipuk JE, Grimm EA, Estrada Y, Aguirre-Ghiso J, Sikora AG. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) drives mTOR pathway activation and proliferation of human melanoma by reversible nitrosylation of TSC2. Cancer Res 74(4):1067-78, 2014. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 24398473.
- Grimm EA, Sikora AG, Ekmekcioglu S. Molecular Pathways: Inflammation-associated nitric-oxide production as a cancer-supporting redox mechanism and a potential therapeutic target. Clin Cancer Res 19(20):5557-5563, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23868870.
- Zhou H, Ekmekcioglu S, Marks JW, Mohamedali KA, Asrani K, Phillips KK, Brown SA, Cheng E, Weiss MB, Hittelman WN, Tran NL, Yagita H, Winkles JA, Rosenblum MG. The TWEAK Receptor Fn14 Is a Therapeutic Target in Melanoma: Immunotoxins Targeting Fn14 Receptor for Malignant Melanoma Treatment. J Invest Dermatol 133(4):1052-62, 2013. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23190886.
- Qin Y, Deng W, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA. Identification of unique sensitizing targets for anti-inflammatory CDDO-Me in metastatic melanoma by a large-scale synthetic lethal RNAi screening. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res 26(1):97-112, 2013. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23020131.
- Yoon JK, Frankel AE, Feun LG, Ekmekcioglu S, Kim KB. Arginine deprivation therapy for malignant melanoma. Clin Pharmacol 5:11-9, 2013. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23293541.
- Khalili JS, Liu S, Rodríguez-Cruz TG, Whittington M, Wardell S, Liu C, Zhang M, Cooper ZA, Frederick DT, Li Y, Zhang M, Joseph RW, Bernatchez C, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm E, Radvanyi LG, Davis RE, Davies MA, Wargo JA, Hwu P, Lizée G. Oncogenic BRAF(V600E) Promotes Stromal Cell-Mediated Immunosuppression Via Induction of Interleukin-1 in Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 18(19):5329-40, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22850568.
- Tanese K, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S. The role of melanoma tumor-derived nitric oxide in the tumor inflammatory microenvironment: Its impact on the chemokine expression profile, including suppression of CXCL10. Int J Cancer 131(4):891-901, 2012. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21953496.
- Chattopadhyay C, Ellerhorst JA, Ekmekcioglu S, Greene VR, Davies MA, Grimm EA. Association of Activated c-Met with NRAS-Mutated Human Melanomas: A Possible Avenue for Targeting. Int J Cancer 131(2):56-65, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22020736.
- Klionsky DJ, Abdalla FC, Abeliovich H, Abraham RT, Acevedo-Arozena A, Adeli K, Agholme L, Agnello M, Agostinis P, Aguirre-Ghiso JA, Ahn HJ, Ait-Mohamed O, Ait-Si-Ali S, Akematsu T, Akira S, Al-Younes HM, Al-Zeer MA, Albert ML, Albin RL, Alegre-Abarrategui J, Aleo MF, Alirezaei M, Almasan A, Almonte-Becerril M, Amano A, Amaravadi R, Amarnath S, Amer AO, Andrieu-Abadie N, Anantharam V, Ann DK, Anoopkumar-Dukie S, Aoki H, Apostolova N, Auberger P, Baba M, Backues SK, Baehrecke EH, Bahr BA, Bai XY, Bailly Y, Baiocchi R, Baldini G, Balduini W, Ballabio A, Bamber BA, Bampton ET, Bánhegyi G, Bartholomew CR, Bassham DC, Bast RC, Batoko H, Bay BH, Beau I, Béchet DM, Begley TJ, Behl C, Behrends C, Bekri S, Bellaire B, Bendall LJ, Benetti L, Berliocchi L, Bernardi H, Bernassola F, Besteiro S, Bhatia-Kissova I, Bi X, Biard-Piechaczyk M, Blum JS, Boise LH, Bonaldo P, Boone DL, Bornhauser BC, Bortoluci KR, Bossis I, Bost F, Bourquin JP, Boya P, Boyer-Guittaut M, Bozhkov PV, Brady NR, Brancolini C, Brech A, Brenman JE, Brennand A, Bresnick EH, Brest P, Bridges D, Bristol ML, Brookes PS, Brown EJ, Brumell JH, Brunetti-Pierri N, Brunk UT, Bulman DE, Bultman SJ, Bultynck G, Burbulla LF, Bursch W, Butchar JP, Buzgariu W, Bydlowski SP, Cadwell K, Cahová M, Cai D, Cai J, Cai Q, Calabretta B, Calvo-Garrido J, Camougrand N, Campanella M, Campos-Salinas J, Candi E, Cao L, Caplan AB, Carding SR, Cardoso SM, Carew JS, Carlin CR, Carmignac V, Carneiro LA, Carra S, Caruso RA, Casari G, Casas C, Castino R, Cebollero E, Cecconi F, Celli J, Chaachouay H, Chae HJ, Chai CY, Chan DC, Chan EY, Chang RC, Che CM, Chen CC, Chen GC, Chen GQ, Chen M, Chen Q, Chen SS, Chen W, Chen X, Chen X, Chen X, Chen YG, Chen Y, Chen Y, Chen YJ, Chen Z, Cheng A, Cheng CH, Cheng Y, Cheong H, Cheong JH, Cherry S, Chess-Williams R, Cheung ZH, Chevet E, Chiang HL, Chiarelli R, Chiba T, Chin LS, Chiou SH, Chisari FV, Cho CH, Cho DH, Choi AM, Choi D, Choi KS, Choi ME, Chouaib S, Choubey D, Choubey V, Chu CT, Chuang TH, Chueh. Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy. Autophagy 8(4):445-544, 2012. PMID: 22966490.
- Qin Y, Ekmekcioglu S, Liu P, Duncan LM, Lizée G, Poindexter N, Grimm EA. Constitutive Aberrant Endogenous Interleukin-1 Facilitates Inflammation and Growth in Human Melanoma. Mol Cancer Res 9(11):1537-50, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21954434.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Chattopadhyay C, Akar U, Gabisi A, Newman RA, Grimm EA. Zyflamend Mediates Therapeutic Induction of Autophagy to Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells. Nutr Cancer 63(6):940-9, 2011. e-Pub 2011. PMID: 21745040.
- Deng WG, Kwon J, Ekmekcioglu S, Poindexter NJ, Grimm EA. IL-24 gene transfer sensitizes melanoma cells to erlotinib through modulation of the Apaf-1 and Akt signaling pathways. Melanoma Res 21(1):44-56, 2011. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20216471.
- Huerta-Yepez S, Ekmekcioglu S, Rivera-Pazos CM, Antonio-Andres G, Vega MI, Baay-Guzman G, Grimm EA. Braf Mutations Are Associated With High Levels of Phosphorylated RKIP in Melanoma Cell Lines: Potential Prognostic Significance. Forum on Immunopathological Diseases and Therapeutics 2(2):189-194, 2011.
- Ellerhorst JA, Greene VR, Ekmekcioglu S, Warneke CL, Johnson MM, Cooke CP, Wang LE, Prieto VG, Gershenwald JE, Wei Q, Grimm EA. Clinical Correlates of NRAS and BRAF Mutations in Primary Human Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res 17(2):229-35, 2011. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20975100.
- Sikora AG, Gelbard A, Davies MA, Sano D, Ekmekcioglu S, Kwon J, Hailemichael Y, Jayaraman P, Myers JN, Grimm EA, Overwijk WW. Targeted inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibits growth of human melanoma in vivo and synergizes with chemotherapy. Clin Cancer Res 16(6):1834-44, 2010. e-Pub 2010. PMID: 20215556.
- Zheng M, Bocangel D, Ramesh R, Ekmekcioglu S, Poindexter N, Grimm EA, Chada S. Interleukin-24 overcomes temozolomide resistance and enhances cell death by down-regulation of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase in human melanoma cells. Mol Cancer Ther 7(12):3842-51, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 19056673.
- Grimm EA, Ellerhorst J, Tang CH, Ekmekcioglu S. Constitutive Intracellular Production of iNOS and NO in Human Melanoma: Possible Role in Regulation of Growth and Resistance to Apoptosis. Nitric Oxide 19(2):133-37, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18472017.
- Hwang CS, Prieto VG, Diwan AH, Lizee G, Ellerhorst JA, Ekmekcioglu S, Liu P, Eton O, Kinney SA, Grimm EA, Hwu P, Kim KB. Changes in pERK1/2 and p-AKT Expression in Melanoma Lesions after Imatinib Treatment. Melanoma Res 18(4):241-45, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18626307.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Mumm JB, Udtha M, Chada S, Grimm EA. Killing of human melanoma cells induced by activation of class I interferon-regulated signaling pathways via MDA-7/IL-24. Cytokine 43(1):34-44, 2008. e-Pub 2008. PMID: 18511292.
- Zheng M, Bocangel D, Doneske B, Mhashilkar A, Ramesh R, Hunt KK, Ekmekcioglu S, Sutton RB, Poindexter N, Grimm EA, Chada S. Human interleukin 24 (MDA-7/IL-24) protein kills breast cancer cells via the IL-20 receptor and is antagonized by IL-10. Cancer Immunol Immunother 56(2):205-15, 2007. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16710719.
- Mumm JB, Ekmekcioglu S, Poindexter NJ, Chada S, Grimm EA. Soluble human MDA-7/IL-24: characterization of the molecular form(s) inhibiting tumor growth and stimulating monocytes. J Interferon Cytokine Res 26(12):877-86, 2006. PMID: 17238830.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Ellerhorst JA, Prieto VG, Johnson MM, Broemeling LD, Grimm EA. Tumor iNOS predicts poor survival for stage III melanoma patients. Int J Cancer 119(4):861-6, 2006. PMID: 16557582.
- Fok JY, Ekmekcioglu S, Mehta K. Implications of tissue transglutaminase expression in malignant melanoma. Mol Cancer Ther 5(6):1493-503, 2006. PMID: 16818508.
- Ellerhorst JA, Ekmekcioglu S, Johnson MK, Cooke CP, Johnson MM, Grimm EA. Regulation of iNOS by the p44/42 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in human melanoma. Oncogene 25(28):3956-62, 2006. e-Pub 2006. PMID: 16474847.
- Tong AW, Nemunaitis J, Su D, Zhang Y, Cunningham C, Senzer N, Netto G, Rich D, Mhashilkar A, Parker K, Coffee K, Ramesh R, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, van Wart Hood J, Merritt J, Chada S. Intratumoral injection of INGN 241, a nonreplicating adenovector expressing the melanoma-differentiation associated gene-7 (mda-7/IL24): biologic outcome in advanced cancer patients. Mol Ther 11(1):160-72, 2005. PMID: 15585417.
- Chada S, Mhashilkar AM, Ramesh R, Mumm JB, Sutton RB, Bocangel D, Zheng M, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S. Bystander activity of Ad-mda7: human MDA-7 protein kills melanoma cells via an IL-20 receptor-dependent but STAT3-independent mechanism. Mol Ther 10(6):1085-95, 2004. PMID: 15564140.
- Zheng M, Ekmekcioglu S, Walch ET, Tang CH, Grimm EA. Inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB and nitric oxide by curcumin induces G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human melanoma cells. Melanoma Res 14(3):165-71, 2004. PMID: 15179184.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Ellerhorst JA, Mumm JB, Zheng M, Broemeling L, Prieto VG, Stewart AL, Mhashilkar AM, Chada S, Grimm EA. Negative association of melanoma differentiation-associated gene (mda-7) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in human melanoma: MDA-7 regulates iNOS expression in melanoma cells. Mol Cancer Ther 2(1):9-17, 2003. PMID: 12533668.
- Simeone AM, Ekmekcioglu S, Broemeling LD, Grimm EA, Tari AM. A novel mechanism by which N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide inhibits breast cancer cell growth: the production of nitric oxide. Mol Cancer Ther 1(12):1009-17, 2002. PMID: 12481423.
- Stewart AL, Mhashilkar AM, Yang XH, Ekmekcioglu S, Saito Y, Sieger K, Schrock R, Onishi E, Swanson X, Mumm JB, Zumstein L, Watson GJ, Snary D, Roth JA, Grimm EA, Ramesh R, Chada S. PI3 kinase blockade by Ad-PTEN inhibits invasion and induces apoptosis in RGP and metastatic melanoma cells. Mol Med 8(8):451-61, 2002. PMID: 12435856.
- Caudell EG, Mumm JB, Poindexter N, Ekmekcioglu S, Mhashilkar AM, Yang XH, Retter MW, Hill P, Chada S, Grimm EA. The protein product of the tumor suppressor gene, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 7, exhibits immunostimulatory activity and is designated IL-24. J Immunol 168(12):6041-6, 2002. PMID: 12055212.
- Ellerhorst JA, Prieto VG, Ekmekcioglu S, Broemeling L, Yekell S, Chada S, Grimm EA. Loss of MDA-7 expression with progression of melanoma. J Clin Oncol 20(4):1069-74, 2002. PMID: 11844832.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Ellerhorst J, Mhashilkar AM, Sahin AA, Read CM, Prieto VG, Chada S, Grimm EA. Down-regulated melanoma differentiation associated gene (mda-7) expression in human melanomas. Int J Cancer 94(1):54-9, 2001. PMID: 11668478.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Ellerhorst J, Smid CM, Prieto VG, Munsell M, Buzaid AC, Grimm EA. Inducible nitric oxide synthase and nitrotyrosine in human metastatic melanoma tumors correlate with poor survival. Clin Cancer Res 6(12):4768-75, 2000. PMID: 11156233.
- Fukuda Y, Kim SH, Bustos MA, Cho SN, Roszik J, Burks JK, Hoon, DSB, Grimm EA, Suhendan Ekmekcioglu S. Inhibition of microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase has a potential to improve immunotherapy by reducing collagen deposition and T cell exhaustion in melanoma. Cancer Research Communications.
- Ogata D, Creasy CA, Oba J, Karpinets TV, Kim SH, Roszik J, Woodman SA, Grimm EA, Bernatchez C. and Ekmekcioglu S. Innate inflammatory pathways are associated with TIL growth and response to adoptive immunotherapy,.
Invited Articles
- Ekmekcioglu S, Tang CH, Grimm EA. NO news is not necessarily good news in cancer. Curr Cancer Drug Targets 5(2):103-15, 2005. PMID: 15810875.
- Chada S, Sutton RB, Ekmekcioglu S, Ellerhorst J, Mumm JB, Leitner WW, Yang HY, Sahin AA, Hunt KK, Fuson KL, Poindexter N, Roth JA, Ramesh R, Grimm EA, Mhashilkar AM. MDA-7/IL-24 is a unique cytokine--tumor suppressor in the IL-10 family. Int Immunopharmacol 4(5):649-67, 2004. PMID: 15120650.
Abstracts
- Abdel-Wahab N, Montazari E, Spillson C, Bentebibel SE, Awiwi M, Elsayes KM, Gao J, Altan M, Wong MKK, Glitza IC, Amaria RN, McQuade JL, Patel SP, Tawbi HA, Davies MA, Yee C, Sharma P, Allison JP, Ekmekcioglu S, Diab A. Tocilizumab in combination with ipilimumab and nivolumab in solid tumors. Journal of Clinical Oncology 40(16):TPS9600-TPS9600, 2022.
- Bentebibel SE, Johnson D, Amariae R, McGrail D, Lecagoonporn S, Haymaker C, Duose D, Wani K, Safa H, Glitza IC, Patel SP, Wong MK, Tawbi H, Burks J, Yang X, Hwu P, Yee C, Davies MA, Murthy R, Bernatchez C, Ekmekcioglu S, Diab A, Lizée G.. Intratumoral CD40 agonist sotigalimab with pembrolizumab induces broad innate and adaptive immune activation in local and distant tumors in metastatic melanoma. AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2022, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Johnson DH, Hailemichael Y, Bentebibel SE, Abdel-Wahab N, Cho S, Foo WC, Wani K, Watowich SS, Ekmekcioglu S, Diab A.. Th17 inhibition with interleukin 6 blockade decouples immunotoxicity from tumor immunity ċ. AACR ANNUAL MEETING 2022, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2022. e-Pub 2022.
- Diab A, Abdel-Wahab N, Johnson DH, Hailemichael Y, Foo WC, Bentebibel SE, Lizee GA, Ekmekcioglu S.. Interleukin-6 blockade abrogates immunotherapy toxicity and promotes tumor immunity. Annals of Oncology 32(7):S1403, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Diab A, Abdel-Wahab N, Bentebibel SE, Montazari EJ, Spillson CA, Ekmekcioglu S, Gao J, Altan M.. Tocilizumab, ipilimumab, and nivolumab for the treatment of advanced melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, or urothelial carcinoma. Annals of Oncology 32(7):S1456, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Bentebibel SE, Johnson DH, McGrail DJ, Lecagoonporn S, Haymaker C, Duose DY, Wani K, Safa H, Amaria R, Glitza IC, Patel SP, Wong MK, Tawbi H, Lazar AJ, Burks JK, Wistuba II, Trifan O, Hwu P, Yee C, Davies MA, Murthy R, Bernatchez C, Ekmekcioglu S, Lizée G, Diab A.. Intratumoral CD40 agonist APX005M in combination with pembrolizumab induces broad innate and adaptive immune activation in local and distant tumors in metastatic melanoma: Results of a phase 1/2 study. SITC 36th Annual Meeting -2021, 2021.
- Majewski K, Fukuda Y, Cho SN, Ekmekcioglu S. Identification of CD74 isoforms that complex with CD44 to initiate the oncogenic signaling pathway in melanoma. MDACC - 2021 Summer Experience Program, 2021.
- Ogata D., Creasy C., Kim S-H., Roszik J., Hwu P., Grimm EA., Bernatzhez C., Ekmekcioglu S. CD74 regulated inflammatory pattern is associated with TIL growth and favorable response to adoptive immunotherapy. Cancer Research 80(19):30, 2020. e-Pub 2019.
- Ding Z., Ogata D., Roszik J., Qin Y., Kim S-H., Ekmekcioglu S., Grimm EA.. Nitric Oxide Stimulates PI3K-AKT Pathway Activation by S-nitrosylation of PTEN in Human Melanoma Cells. Cancer Research 80(19):48-49, 2020. e-Pub 2019.
- Hambright HG., Kornepaty AVR., Ogata D., BassettJR RL., Ekmekcioglu S., Grimm EA., Curiel TJ.. High-Dimentional (30-plex) Imaging Mass Cytometry on Tissue Microarray Identifies Novel PD-L1-Inclusive Immmunophenotypes Associated with Overall Survival in Stage III Melanoma. Cancer Research 80(19):49, 2020. e-Pub 2019.
- Kim S-H., Roszik J., Cho S., Ogata D, Ekmekcioglu S., and Grimm EA.. Intrinsic Microsomal PGE2 Synthase-1 Associates with Poor Patient Survival and T-cell Infiltration, and Regulates Immunosuppression in Human and Mouse Melanoma Model. Cancer Research 80(19):51, 2020. e-Pub 2019.
- Ogata D., Kim S-H., Roszik J., Bassett Jr RL., Grimm EA., and Ekmekcioglu S. Expression of CD74-Regulated Inflammatory Markers in Stage IV Melanoma: Risk of CNS Metastasis and Patient Survival. Cancer Resaerch 80(19):18, 2020. e-Pub 2019.
- Ogata D, Creasy CA, Kim SH, Roszik J, Hwu P, Grimm EA, Bernatchez C, Ekmekcioglu S. Favorable response of melanoma to TIL therapy associated with IFN-g regulated inflammatory pathway. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 139(5):142, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Ekmekcioglu S. CD74 regulated inflammatory pattern on evaluating the risk of CNS metastasis and survival in Stage IV melanoma. Society for Melanoma Research 16th International Congress. e-Pub 2019.
- Ekmekcioglu S. Innate inflammatory pathways are associated with TIL growth and response to adoptive immunotherapy,. Journal for Immunotherapy For Cancer 7. e-Pub 2019.
- Ekmekcioglu S. Emerging Molecular Biomarkers for Evolving Immunotherapy Approaches. EACR Sponsered 7th Multidisciplinary Cancer Research & 1st Basic Oncology Congress, 2018. e-Pub 2018.
- Dal-Yontem F, Kim SH, Ding Z, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S, Akcakaya H. Dynamin Related Protein 1 Alterations Regulates Migration in Melanoma Cells. EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS 46:399, 2017.
- Ekmekcioglu S. Chronic Inflammatory Microenvironment Defines the Pro-Tumorigenic Functions of IFN-g. 3rd International Molecular Immunology & Immunogenetics Congress Antalya – TURKEY, 2016.
- Ekmekcioglu S., Roszik J., Woodman SE., Grimm EA.. Novel Therapeutic Approaches by Targeting CD74 Expression in Melanoma. EACR-AACR-SIC 2015:Anticancer Drug Action and Drug Resistance, Florence, Italy, 2015. e-Pub 2015.
- Kim SH, Hashimoto Y, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA.. Interaction between mPGES-1 and iNOS promotes human melanoma progression. Cancer Research 74(19):4200, 2014. e-Pub 2014.
- Tanese K, Funakoshi T, Yasuda F, Ohi Y, Fukuyama M, Arakawa H, Ekmekcioglu S, Saito M.. Squamous cell carcinoma showing marked attenuation of local lymphocytic infiltration along with the tumor invasion. Journal of Dermatology 41:57, 2014. e-Pub 2014.
- Dal F, Kim SH, Qin Y, Hashimoto Y, Ekmekcioglu S. Alterations in Mitochondrial Dynamics Regulate Melanoma Tumor Progression. Free Radical Biology & Medicine 76:124, 2014. e-Pub 2014.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Myung SS, Tanese K, Bassett R, Milton DR, Prieto VG, Davies MA, Gershenwald J, Hoon D, Grimm EA. Association of CD74 Expression with Clinical Outcome in Stage III Melanoma. Society for Melanoma Research 2014 Meeting, Zurich, Switzerland, 2014.
- Ekmekcioglu S., Myung Shin-Sim M., Tanese T., Bassett R., Prieto VG., Dave S. Hoon DS., Morton ML., Grimm EA.. An Inflammatory Signature and Clinical Outcome in Stage III Melanoma: A Large-Scale Tissue Micro Array Study. Society for Melanoma Research - 2013 Congress, Philadelphia, PA, 2013.
- Ekmekcioglu S., Tanese K., Qin Y., Grimm E. A. Targeting NO-driven Inflammation in Human Melanoma via IL-1s and CXCL-10. 2013 15th International Congress of Immunology, Milan-Italy, 2013.
- Chen JQ, Creasy C, Torres Cabala CA, Ekmekcioglu S, Maiti SN, Roszik J, Haymaker C, Bernatchez C, Hwu P, Radvanyi L.. Identification of predictive biomarker signatures in melanoma tumors associated with response to tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy. Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 1(S1):P48, 2013.
- Qin Y, Greene VR, Chattopadhyay C, Ekmekcioglu S, Liu C, Grimm EA.. Induction of hypoxia in 3D human melanoma spheroids leads to c-Met activation and resistance to Vemurafenib. Cancer Research 15(73):2936, 2013.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Tanese K, Qin Y, Grimm EA. NO-driven Inflammation in Human Melanoma via IL-1s and CXCL-10. Free Radical Biology and Medicine 53:181, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Gabisi Jr AM, Wang Y, Fast W. Targeting Nitric Oxide Production via Dimethylarginases for Melanoma Therapy. Society for Melanoma Research 2012 Congress, Hollywood, CA, 2012.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Tanese K, Qin Y, Grimm EA. Targeting NO-driven Inflammation in Human Melanoma: IL-1s and CXCL-10. Society for Melanoma Research 2012 Congress, Hollywood, CA, 2012.
- Tanese K, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S. Nitric Oxide Suppresses the Expression of CXCL10 and Leads to the Poor Outcome of Stage III Malignant Melanoma. European Journal of Cancer 48:201, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
- Tanese K, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S. CD74 expression on human melanoma serves as a marker of progression and a target for apoptotsis induction. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 132:130, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Qin Y, Deng W, Grimm EA. A large-scale synthetic lethal RNAi screening identifies unique sensitizing targets for anti-inflammatory CDDO-Me in metastatic melanoma. Cancer Research 72(8):1833, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
- Zhou H, Ekmekcioglu S, Marks JW, Asrani K, Phillips KK, Brown S, Cheng E, Weiss MB, Hittelman WN, Tran NL, Yagita H, Winkles JA, Rosenblum MG. (Fn14) Is a novel target in melanoma: Characterization of unique targeted therapeutics. Cancer Research 72(8):3866, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Chattophadyay C, Akar U, Newman RA, Grimm EA.. Zyflamend Mediates Therapeutic Induction of Autophagy to Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells: iNOS and COX-2 Play a Role as Inflammatory Mediators. SFRR-E, Society for Free Radical Research-Europe, Istanbul, Turkey, 2011.
- Garrido-Laguna I, Kurzrock R, Wheler J, Falchook GS, Piha-Paul S, Fu S, Naing A, Hinojosa C, Mistry R, Scamardo A, Culotta KS, Ekmekcioglu S, Wen S, Camacho L, Ivy P, Hong DS. Dual Inhibition of VEGF Pathway: Phase I Trial of Bevacizumab and Cediranib in Advanced Solid Tumors. Journal of Clinical Oncology 29(15):3065, 2011. e-Pub 2011.
- Zhou H, Marks JW, Ekmekcioglu S, Hittelman WN, Tran N, Yagita H, Winkles JA, Rosenblum MG. Development of single chain immunotoxins targeting the fibroblast growth factor-inducible 14 (Fn14) receptor on solid tumor cells. Cancer Research 71(8):1766, 2011. e-Pub 2011.
- Tanese K, Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA. Inducible nitric oxide synthase suppresses the expression of CXCL10 and hence leads to the poor outcome of Stage III malignant melanoma. Cancer Research 71(8):401, 2011. e-Pub 2011.
- Tanese K, Grimm EA, Ekmekcioglu S. Tumor derived nitric oxide suppresses the expression of CXCL10 and leads to the poor outcome of Stage ΙΙΙ melanoma. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 131:16, 2011. e-Pub 2011.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Chattophadyay C, Akar U, Newman RA, Grimm EA.. Zyflamend Mediates Therapeutic Induction of Autophagy to Apoptosis in Melanoma Cells. 7th International Conference of the Society for Integrative Oncology,New York Academy of Medicine, NY, 2010.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Tanese K, Grimm EA.. Inflammatory Pathway Arrays for Melanoma Molecular Profiling. Perspectives in Melanoma XIV, The Novotel Amsterdam City, The Netherlands, 2010.
- Qin Y, Ekmekcioglu S, Poindexter NJ, Ellerhorst JA, Grimm EA.. Elevated Expression of IL-1 drives iNOS/NO Production and Inhibits IL-1Ra Synthesis Leading to Progression of Metastatic Melanoma. Cancer Research 70(8):4506, 2010. e-Pub 2010.
Book Chapters
- Qin Y., Ekmekcioglu S., Forget MA, Szekvolgyi L, Hwu P, Grimm EA, Jazaeri AA, Roszik J.. Cervical Cancer Neoantigen Landscape and Immune Activity is Associated with Human Papillomavirus Master Regulators. In: Neoantigens Generated by Individual Mutations and Their Role in Immunity and Immunotherapy. 1st. Frontiers Media SA: Lausanne, Switzerland, 4-11, 2021.
- Kim SH, Ogata D, Roszik J, Grimm EA, and Ekmekcioglu S. Arginine metabolism regulates nitric oxide production in melanoma tumor microenvironment to provide survival advantage to tumor cells. In: Therapeutic Application of Nitric Oxide in Cancer and Inflammatory Disorders. 1st. Elsevier: Cambridge, MA, 113-122, 2019.
- Ekmekcioglu S and Grimm EA. Cytokines, Interferons and Hematopoietic Growth Factors. In: Cancer Medicine. 9th. Wiley & Sons Inc: New Jersey, 743-756, 2017.
- Ekmekcioglu S., Kurzrock R., and Grimm EA.. Hematopoietic Growth Factors and Cytokines. In: The Molecular Basis of Cancer. 4th. Elseiver Inc: Philadelphia, 789-808, 2015.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Kurzrock R, Grimm EA.. Hematopoietic Growth Factors and Cytokines. In: The Molecular Basis of Cancer. 3rd. Saunders Elsevier: Philadelphia, PA, 2012.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Kurzrock R, Grimm, EA.. Cytokines and Growth Factors. In: Cancer Medicine. 8th. B.C.Decker Inc: Hamilton, Ontario, 686-709, 2010.
- Poindexter N, Ramesh R, Ekmekcioglu S, Ellerhorst J, Kim K, Grimm EA.. Interleukin-24 Gene Therapy for Melanoma. In: Gene Based Therapies for Cancer. Springer: New York, NY, 181-202, 2010.
- Ekmekcioglu S. Grimm EA.. Prognostic Significance of iNOS in Melanoma. In: Nitric Oxide and Cancer: Prognosis, Prevention and Therapy. Springer: New York, 293-308, 2010.
- Ramesh R, Shanker M, Yokoyama T, Branch CD, Scott AW, Jin J, Zheng M, Bocangel D, Ekmekcioglu S, Poindexter N, Fuson K, Sutton BR, Grimm EA, Chada S.. To kill not to kill cancer cells: A perspective of MDA-7/IL-24. In: Recent Research Developments in Cancer. Transworld Research Network: Kerala, India, 2009.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Kurzrock R, Grimm EA.. Hematopoietic Growth Factors and Cytokines. In: The Molecular Basis of Cancer. 3rd. Elsevier: Philadelphia, PA, 605-619, 2008.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm EA, Kurzrock R.. Cytokines and Growth Factors. In: Cancer Medicine. 7th. B.C. Decker Inc: Hamilton, Ontario, 744-769, 2006.
- Ekmekcioglu S, Grimm, EA.. Cytokines: Biology and Application. In: Cancer Medicine. 6th. D.W. Kufe, R.E. Pollock, R.R. Weichselbaum, R.J. Bast, R. Gansler, J.F. Holland, and E. Frei III (eds), Holland-Frei Cancer Medicine e.6. B.C. Decker Inc: Hamilton, Ontario, 843-853, 2003.
- Ekmekcioglu, S, Grimm, EA.. Nitric Oxide (NO) in Cancer: Potential Prognostic Factor?. In: Recent Research Developments in Cancer. Transworld Research Network: Kerala, India, 177-187, 2002.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Aberrant ROS and RNS pathways: Likely Prognostic and Predictive Markers, and Targets for overcoming Resistance to Therapy |
| Funding Source: | Adelson Medical Research Foundation |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Identification of Convergent Inflammatory Mechanisms in Primary and Metastatic CNS Malignancies |
| Funding Source: | Adelson Medical Research Foundation |
| Role: | Co-Investigator |
| Title: | Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) Binding to CD74/CD44 Regulates Inflammatory Response of IFN-gamma |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Experimentally selected and clinically validated innate immune markers in the human tumor microenvironment provided a predictive signature of immunotherapy response |
| Funding Source: | Foundation for the National Institute of Health |
| Role: | Principal Investigator |