Faculty

Education, Degree, & Post Graduate Training:

• PhD Florida International University 1999
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Tumor Cell Biology, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy University of Miami Miller School of Medicine 2000-2003
• P.M.C. Clinical Research Management Duke University 2007-2010

Career highlights:

Teaching:

Biomedical Graduate Student Award Professor of the Year 2013-2014. In recognition of excellence in leadership.

Biomedical Graduate Student Award Professor of the Year 2011-2012. In recognition of excellence in instruction.

Biomedical Graduate Student Award 2010-2011. In recognition of teaching style.

Research:

SMC/Muc4-ErbB2 complex: implications in neoplasia (K01CA102248). PI Dr. Victoria Palau Ramsauer. NIH/NCI (2003-2009)

97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2006. Work selected for Mini-Symposium.

95th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2004. Work selected for Mini- Symposium.

Editor's Choice, Science Signaling AAAS. An Escort to the Top. Sci. STKE, 12 August 2003, Vol. 2003, Issue 195, p. tw313

94th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, 2003. Work selected for Poster Discussion Session.

Postdoctoral fellowship. HER2 ligand in human breast tumors (CA74072-03). PI Dr. Kermit Carraway NIH/NCI, 2000-2001 and 2001-2002.

Teaching specialty:

Tumor Cell Biology and cell signaling

Antineoplastics

DNA/small molecule Interactions

Classes taught:

Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy:

Immunology

IDEALS Lab I

Human Physiology

Hematology/Oncology module

Fundamentals of Clinical Trials

Pharmaceutical Sciences Research I-V

Capstone

Quillen College of Medicine:

Department of Internal Medicine Division of Oncology

Oncology Fellowship Program

Department of Biomedical Sciences

Graduate Program BM III, and IV

Research Interests:

Biological markers and cell signaling in oncogenesis

Testing of novel compounds derived from plants with ethnobotanical importance

Selected Publications:

Torrenegra RD, Rodriguez J, Mendez G, Canter R, Whitted C, and Palau VE. 2018. Antiproliferative activity of extracts of Gnaphalium gracile H.B.K against cancer cell lines. Pharmacology online 2:113-122. http://pharmacologyonline.silae.it/files/archives/2018/vol2/PhOL_2018_2_A012_Torrenegra.pdf

Palau VE, Chakraborty K, Wann D, Lightner J, Hilton K, Brannon M, Stone W, Krishnan K 2018.
γ-Tocotrienol induces apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells by upregulation of ceramide synthesis and modulation of sphingolipid transport. BMC Cancer (epub release date 5-2018)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5956825/pdf/12885_2018_Article_4462.pdf

Walls ZF, Schwengels M, Palau V, 2018. Intracellular Sequestration of HER2 via Targeted Subcellular Peptide Delivery. Journal of Drug Targeting epub. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1061186X.2018.1450411?scroll=top&needAccess=true

Annor-Gyamfi JK, Jarrett JM, Osazee JO, Bialonska D, Whitted C, Palau VE, Shilabin AG, 2018. Synthesis and biological activity of fused tetracyclic Pyrrolo[2,1-c][1,4]benzodiazepines. Heliyon 4:2 Article e00539https://www.heliyon.com/article/e00539/pdf

Whitted CL, Torrenegra RD, Mendez GM, LeJeune TM, Rodriguez J, Tsui HY, Rodriguez OE, Street S, Miller G, Palau VE. 2016. Increased cytotoxicity of 3,5 dihydroxy -7- methoxyflavone in MIA PaCa-2 and Panc28 pancreatic cancer cells when used in conjunction with proliferative compound 3,5 dihydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone both derived from Chromolaena leivensis (Hieron). Pharmacologyonline 3:80-89. http://pharmacologyonline.silae.it/files/archives/2016/vol3/PhOL_2016_3_A013_22_Palau.pdf

Torrenegra RD, Rodriguez, J. Rodriguez, OE, Palau VE, Mendez GM 2016. Antiproliferative activity of 3,5,7 trihydroxy-6-methoxy flavone obtained from Chromolaena leivensis (Hieron) on cancer cell lines of the breast, prostate, colon, lung and cervix. Pharmacology online 1:7-11 http://pharmacologyonline.silae.it/files/archives/2016/vol1/PhOL_2016_1_A002_02_Torrenegra_7_11.pdf 

LeJeune TM, Tsui HY, Parsons LB, Miller GE, Whitted C, Lynch KE, Ramsauer RE, Patel JU, Wyatt JE, Street DS, Adams CB, McPherson B, Tsui HM, Evans JA, Livesay C, Torrenegra RD, Palau VE 2015. Mechanism of action of two flavone isomers targeting cancer cells with varying cell differentiation status. PLoS One, 10(11):e0142928. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142928. eCollection 2015. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0142928&type=printable

Whitted CL, Palau VE, Torrenegra RD, Harirforoosh S. 2015. Development of reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography methods for quantification and pharmacokinetics of two isomeric flavones in rats. Chromatography B, 1001, 150-155 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1570023215301069?via%3Dihub

Rogers M, Kalra S, Moukharskaya J, Chakraborty K, Niyazi M, Krishnan K, Lightner J, Brannon, M, Stone WL, Palau VE 2015. Synergistic growth inhibition of PC-3 prostate cancer cells with low-dose combinations of Simvastatin and Alendronate. Anticancer research;35(4):1851-9 http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/35/4/1851.full.pdf+html

Stone WL, Krishnan K, Campbell SE, Palau VE. 2014. The role of antioxidants and pro-oxidants in colon cancer. World J Gastrointest Oncol 6(3):55-66.

Cooper DL, Murrell DE, Conder CM, Palau VE, Campbell GE, Lynch SP, Denham JW, Hanley AV, Bullins KW, Panus PC, Singh K, Harirforoosh S. 2014. Exacerbation of Celecoxib-induced renal injury by concomitant administration of Misoprostol. PLoS One 10.1371/journal.pone.0089087

Duran E, Ramsauer VP, Torrenegra RD, Rodriguez OE, Ballester M, Winkle SA. 2012. Qualitative analysis of sequence specific binding of flavones to DNA using restriction endonuclease activity assays. Biopolymers; 2013 Aug;99(8):530-7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23712489

Thomas CM, Wood III RC, Wyatt JE, Pendleton MH, Rodriguez OE, Torrenegra RD, Harirforoosh S, Ballester M, Lightner J, Krishnan K, and Ramsauer VP. 2012. Anti-neoplastic activity of two flavone isomers derived from Gnaphalium elegans and Achyrocline bogotensis. PLoS One 7(6):e39806. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22768128

Pfister AB, Wood RC, Salas PJI, Zea DL, Ramsauer VP. 2010. Early response to ErbB2 Over-Expression in polarized Caco-2 Cells involves partial segregation from ErbB3 by relocalization to the apical surface and initiation of survival signaling. J. Cell. Biochem. 111(3):643-652 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20589763

Ramsauer VP, Pino V, Carraway CA, Salas PJI, and Carraway KL. 2006. Muc4 ErbB2 com-plex formation and signaling in epithelial cells indicate that Muc4 acts as an unorthodox ligand for ErbB2. Mol. Biol. Cell 2006 17: 2931-2941 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16624867

Carraway, K.L., Ramsauer VP, and Carraway, C.A. 2005. Glycoprotein contributions to mammary gland and mammary tumor structure and function: roles of adherens junctions, ErbBs and membrane mucins. J Cell Biochem. 96(5):914-26. Review. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16167329

Ramsauer VP, Carraway CA Salas PJI, and Carraway KL. 2003. Muc4/ Sialomucin complex, the intramembrane ErbB2 ligand, translocates ErbB2 to the apical surface in polarized epithelial cells. J. Biol. Chem. 278 30142-30147 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12748185

View published research articles by Dr. Palau in the National Library of Medicine

Organizational Involvement/Membership:

American Association for Cancer Research 2000-present

American Society for Cell Biology 2012-present