USA Mitchell Cancer Institute

Ming Tan, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Oncological Sciences
Vincent F. Kilborn, Jr. Cancer Research Scholar

Contact Information:

Medical Sciences Building, Room 2015, USA-Mitchell Cancer Institute
307 N. University Blvd, Mobile AL 36688-0002
Telephone: (251) 460-6993 or 414-8059
Fax: (251) 460-6994
Email: mtan@usouthal.edu

Background:

M.D., West China University of Medical Sciences
Ph.D., University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and Health Science Center at Houston
Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2000-2001
Instructor, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2002-2006
Research Assistant Professor, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2006-2007
Assistant Professor, Mitchell Cancer Institute, University of South Alabama, 2007-Present

Research Interests:

The emphasis of our research is on signal transduction pathways regulating the malignant behavior of tumor cells. Currently we focus on growth factor receptor, such as HER-2/ErbB2, mediated signal transduction, cancer metastasis, resistance to therapeutic agents, and targeted therapy for cancer using human breast cancer as a model system. Our ultimate goal is to translate the knowledge acquired in the laboratory into future novel therapeutics.

Selected Recent Publications :

Tan M and Yu D. The molecular mechanism of ErbB2-mediated chemosensitivity. In: Yu D and Hung MC (Ed), Breast Cancer Chemosensitivity. Landes BioScience, Austin, Texas, 2007.

Tan M*, Lan KH*, Yao J, Lu CH, Sun MH, Neal CL, Lu J, Yu D. Selective Inhibition of ErbB2-Overexpressing Breast Cancer In Vivo by a Novel TAT-Based ErbB2-Targeting STAT3-Blocking Peptide. Cancer Res, 66(7): 3764-72, 2006 (*Co-first authors).

Tan M, Li P, Sun MH, Yu D. Activation of PKC-alpha By ErbB2 Though Src Promotes Breast Cancer Cell Invasion That Can Be Blocked by Combined Treatment of PKC-alpha and Src Inhibitors. Oncogene, 25(23): 3286–3295, 2006.

Klos SK, Wyszomierski SL, Sun MH, Tan M, Zhou XY, Li P, Yang WT, Hittelman WN, Yu D. ErbB2 increases VEGF protein synthesis via activation of the mTOR/p70S6K pathway leading to increased angiogenesis and spontaneous metastasis in human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res, 66(4): 2028-37, 2006.

Tan M, Li P, Klos KS, Lu J, Lan KH, Nagata Y, Fang D, Jing T, Yu D. ErbB2 promotes Src synthesis and stability: Novel mechanisms of Src activation that confer breast cancer metastasis. Cancer Res, 65(5):1858-67, 2005.

Li YM, Pan Y, Wei Y, Cheng X, Zhou BP, Tan M, Zhou X, Xia W, Hortobagyi GN, Yu D, Hung MC. Upregulation of CXCR4 is essential for HER2-mediated tumor metastasis. Cancer Cell, 6(5):459-69, 2004.

Nagata Y, Lan KH, Zhou X, Tan M, Esteva FJ, Sahin AA, Klos KS, Li P, Monia BP, Nguyen NT, Hortobagyi GN, Hung MC, Yu D. PTEN Activation Contributes to Tumor Inhibition by Trastuzumab and Loss of PTEN Predicts Trastuzumab Resistance in Patients. Cancer Cell, 6:117-21, 2004 (*Featured in Nature News and Views).

Zhou X, Tan M, Hawthorne VS, Klos KS, Lan KH, Yang Y, Yang W, Smith TL, Shi D, Yu D. Activation of the Akt/mTOR/4E-BP1 pathway by ErbB2 overexpression predicts tumor progression in breast cancers. Clin Cancer Res, 10:6779-88, 2004. (*Featured on the cover of the journal).

Tan M, Jing T, Lee S, Lan KH, Li P, Nagata Y, Liu J, Arlinghaus R, Hung MC, Yu D. Direct Phosphorylation on Tyrosine-15 of p34Cdc2 by erbB2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibits p34Cdc2 Activation. Molecular Cell, 9:993-1004, 2002. (*One figure featured as the cover of the journal).

Tan M, Grijalva R, Yu D. Heregulin-beta-activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase enhances aggregation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells independent of extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Cancer Res, 59:1620-25, 1999.

Pollock RE, Lang A, Ge T, Sun D, Tan M, Yu D. Wild-type p53 and a p53 temperature-sensitive mutant suppress human soft tissue sarcoma by enhancing cell cycle control. Clin Cancer Res, 4:1985-94, 1998.

Yu D, Jing T, Liu B, Yao J, Tan M, McDonnell TJ, Hung MC. Overexpression of ErbB2 blocks Taxol induced apoptosis by upregulation of p21Cip1, which inhibits p34Cdc2 kinase. Molecular Cell, 2:581-91, 1998.

Yao J, Pollock RE, Lang A, Tan M, Pisters PW, Goodrich D, El-Naggar A, Yu D. Infrequent mutation of the p16/MTS1 gene and overexpression of cyclin-dependent kinase 4 in human primary soft-tissue sarcoma. Clin Cancer Res, 4:1065-70, 1998.

Tan M, Yao J, Yu D. Overexpression of the c-erbB-2/neu gene enhanced intrinsic metastatic potential in human breast cancer cells without increasing their transformation abilities. Cancer Res, 57:1199-1205, 1997.

Yu D, Liu B, Tan M, Li JZ, Wang SS, Hortobagyi GN, Hung MC. Overexpression of c-erbB-2/neu in breast cancer cells confers increased resistance to Taxol via mdr-1-independent mechanisms. Oncogene, 13:1359-65, 1996.

Patent:
Yu D, Jao J, Lan KH, Tan M et al. Novel strategy for targeting therapeutics in breast cancer therapy. (Patent Pending)