Jennifer Endress
Favorite movie: The Departed (Boston pride)
Hometown: Boston, MA
Non-science activity: Coffee, crafts, gardening
Dream benchmate: Hermione Granger
One item from bucket list: Travel on a scientific research vessel (marine biological science is cool)
Scientific interests: The role of cellular signaling and metabolism to support proliferation and metastasis in cancer.
Research:
I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Biochemistry from Northeastern University, after which I worked as a technician in the laboratory of Joan Brugge at Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. While in the Brugge lab, I utilized high throughput small molecule screening to identify synthetic lethalities in cancer. In the Blenis lab, I work with Dr. Long He to study glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), an enzyme which is named for its regulation of glycogen synthesis but has been later discovered to broadly regulate many signaling pathways within the cell via inhibitory phosphorylation events. Expanding on Dr. He's previous research which demonstrated that cellular location of GSK3 regulates mTOR-dependent cell growth and sensitivity to the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, I study the role of GSK3 in the regulation of survival mechanisms upon nutrient starvation in cancer cells. I believe that mechanistic understanding of signaling and metabolism in cancer can lead to improved knowledge of the underlying biology in both health and disease, and hopefully improve treatment options for patients.
Selected Publications:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=endress+jennifer&sort=date