Welcome to the Charest Lab!
In the laboratory of Dr. Pascale Charest at the University of Arizona, we study how cells migrate in response to external chemical cues (chemoattractants), a process (chemotaxis) that is important to normal physiology and that is also implicated in the onset and progression of diseases such as cancer metastasis. Metastasis, the migration of cancer cells away from the primary tumor to other parts of the body, is by far the major cause of death from cancer. Yet, most anti-cancer drugs inhibit only cancer cell proliferation. One main reason for the lack of efficient anti-metastasis therapy is our lack of understanding of what promotes tumor cell migration and invasion. Our goal is to identify key, conserved intracellular signaling pathways and molecular mechanisms that control cell migration to guide the development of therapeutic strategies preventing the spread of cancer. For this, we work with the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum as well as normal and transformed human cells, and we use collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches that include cellular, molecular, biochemical, biophysical, omics, and computational methods.
Charest Lab News
August 2024
The Charest lab receives new funding from the National Science Foundation to study the role of receptor dynamics in eukaryotic chemotaxis, in collaboration with Wouter-Jan Rappel at UCSD. We are excited to start working on this research project!
The Charest lab receives new funding from the National Science Foundation to study the role of receptor dynamics in eukaryotic chemotaxis, in collaboration with Wouter-Jan Rappel at UCSD. We are excited to start working on this research project!
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June-July 2024
This summer we hosted one high school KEYS intern, Katie Jennings. Katie worked with undergraduate student and Beckman Scholar Douglas Swango, a former KEYS intern himself. Way to give back! In addition, undergraduate student Caleb Konecek was awarded a Dr Thomas M. and Candace C. Grogan Scholarship from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Congratulations! |
Dr Charest, Katie, and Douglas at Katie's poster presentation on July 19.
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May 2024
Former graduate student Stephen Smith's article has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Great work Stephen, congratulations! And also thank you to the contributing authors: Tariq Islam, Shon Alimukhamedov, and Ethan Weiss.
Congratulations to our lab graduates: Elizabeth (Liz) Harper (Biochemistry BSc), Natalya Stanisic (Molecular & Cellular Biology BSc), and Genesis Cahigas (Biochemistry PhD)! Liz is staying with us one more year to complete her Accelerated Master's program in Biochemistry, Natalya is applying for Medical School, and Genesis is applying for work in industry. We celebrated their graduations and the end of the semester with a bowling party!
April 2024
Graduate student Genesis Cahigas successfully defended his dissertation, congratulations Dr. Cahigas!
March 2024
Undergraduate student Caleb Konecek was admitted into the NIH-funded U. Arizona MARC program and awarded a Beckman Scholarship. Wow, congratulations Caleb you deserve it! Caleb can only take one of these, though, and choose to participate in the MARC program, which will support him and his research for the next 2 years in addition to providing professional development.
Graduate student Helena Woroniecka was awarded a Galileo Circle scholarship. Congratulations Helena!
February 2024
Congratulations to graduate student Mollie Wiegand who was awarded the MCB Department graduate teaching award! Mollie has shown time and time again how a dedicated teacher and mentor she is to the students in the classroom as well as in the laboratory, well deserved!
January 2024
Happy New Year!
This month, we welcome 3 new undergraduate student researchers: Megan Dowd, Olivia Hajdys, and Shruthi Sadhasivam! Megan and Shruthi will work with graduate student Helena Woroniecka on identifying new chemotactic effectors and Olivia will work with accelerated Master's student Liz Harper on investigating the interaction of calmodulin with chemoattractant receptors.
October 2023
Congratulations to Alyssa Werner who successfully completed her dissertation defense and is graduating with her PhD in Biochemistry this Fall semester!
Earlier this month, we also received the news that Alyssa's manuscript has been accepted for publication in the Molecular Biology of the Cell journal. Well done Dr. Werner!
September 2023
Welcome to new undergraduate student Caleb Konecek. Caleb will work with graduate student Isaiah Toth on investigating the regulation of mTORC2 function by the small GTPase Rap1 in mammalian epithelial cells.
Former graduate student Stephen Smith's article has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Great work Stephen, congratulations! And also thank you to the contributing authors: Tariq Islam, Shon Alimukhamedov, and Ethan Weiss.
Congratulations to our lab graduates: Elizabeth (Liz) Harper (Biochemistry BSc), Natalya Stanisic (Molecular & Cellular Biology BSc), and Genesis Cahigas (Biochemistry PhD)! Liz is staying with us one more year to complete her Accelerated Master's program in Biochemistry, Natalya is applying for Medical School, and Genesis is applying for work in industry. We celebrated their graduations and the end of the semester with a bowling party!
April 2024
Graduate student Genesis Cahigas successfully defended his dissertation, congratulations Dr. Cahigas!
March 2024
Undergraduate student Caleb Konecek was admitted into the NIH-funded U. Arizona MARC program and awarded a Beckman Scholarship. Wow, congratulations Caleb you deserve it! Caleb can only take one of these, though, and choose to participate in the MARC program, which will support him and his research for the next 2 years in addition to providing professional development.
Graduate student Helena Woroniecka was awarded a Galileo Circle scholarship. Congratulations Helena!
February 2024
Congratulations to graduate student Mollie Wiegand who was awarded the MCB Department graduate teaching award! Mollie has shown time and time again how a dedicated teacher and mentor she is to the students in the classroom as well as in the laboratory, well deserved!
January 2024
Happy New Year!
This month, we welcome 3 new undergraduate student researchers: Megan Dowd, Olivia Hajdys, and Shruthi Sadhasivam! Megan and Shruthi will work with graduate student Helena Woroniecka on identifying new chemotactic effectors and Olivia will work with accelerated Master's student Liz Harper on investigating the interaction of calmodulin with chemoattractant receptors.
October 2023
Congratulations to Alyssa Werner who successfully completed her dissertation defense and is graduating with her PhD in Biochemistry this Fall semester!
Earlier this month, we also received the news that Alyssa's manuscript has been accepted for publication in the Molecular Biology of the Cell journal. Well done Dr. Werner!
September 2023
Welcome to new undergraduate student Caleb Konecek. Caleb will work with graduate student Isaiah Toth on investigating the regulation of mTORC2 function by the small GTPase Rap1 in mammalian epithelial cells.
Charest lab May 2024. Left to right, back row: Douglas Swango, Tariq Islam, Natalya Stanisic, Isiah Toth, Caleb Konecek. Front row: Mollie Wiegand, Agata Orlinski, Elizabeth Harper, Pascale Charest, Genesis Cahigas. Missing from photo: Helena Woroniecka, Kate Santiago, Megan Dowd, Shruthi Sadhasivam, Olivia Hajdys.
