פרופ' ליאת דרוקר

Research areas

We focus on the involvement of the microenvironment in the pathogenesis of the fatal plasma cell cancer, multiple myeloma (MM). In particular, we study the role of translation initiation mechanisms in the crosstalk between myeloma cells and components of their bone-marrow microenvironment.

Translation initiation, though critical for all cells, is particularly important in MM because it integrates the high levels of protein production unique to myeloma cells with critically important microenvironmental cues detrimental to disease therapy. Translation initiation is the rate limiting stage and a common downstream effector of multiple signaling cascades initiated by mutated or over expressed oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Employing a variety of cellular and molecular techniques we study the function and importance of translation initiation factors to the MM disease characteristics. We also explore the utility and significance of translation initiation mode to the crosstalk between the malignant cells and bone marrow components, soluble and cellular, such as mesenchymal stem cells. With this novel research we expect to identify and develop new and as yet untapped therapeutic strategies.

List of publications (2008-2012)

1.         Tartakover Matalon S, Drucker L, Fishman A, Ornoy A, Lishner M.
The role of Heat Shock Protein 27 in extravillous trophoblast differentiation.
J Cellular Biochemistry 103(3):719-729, 2008.Lishner M, Zismanov V, Tohami T, Tartakover Matalon S, Drucker L

2.         Tetraspanins affect myeloma cell fate via Akt signaling and FoxO activation.
Cellular Signaling. 20(12):2309-16, 2008.Zismanov V, Lishner M, Tartakover Matalon S, Elis A, Drucker L.Tetraspanin induced death of myeloma cell lines is autophagic and involves increased UPR signaling. Brit J Cancer 101(8):1402-9, 2009.

3.         Bruchim I, Amichay K, Kidron D, Attias Z, Biron-Shental T, Drucker L, Friedman E, Werner H, Fishman A. BRCA-1/2 germline mutations in Jewish patients with uterine serous papillary carcinoma. Int J Gynecol Cancer 20(7):1148-53, 2010.

4.         Tartakover-Matalon S, Mizrahi A, Epstein G, Shneifi A, Drucker L, Pomeranz M, Fishman A, Radnay J, Lishner M. Breast cancer characteristics are modified by first trimester human placenta: in vitro co-culture study. Hum Reprod 25(10):2441-54, 2010.

5.         Epstein Shochet G, Tartakover-Matalon S, Drucker L, Pomeranz M, Fishman A, Rashid G, Oron-Karni V, pasmanik-Chor M, Lishner M. Hormone-dependent placental manipulation of breast cancer cell migration. Hum Reprod 27(1):73-88, 2012.

6.         Attar-Schneider O, Drucker L, Zismanov V, Tartakover Matalon S, Rashid G, Lishner M. Bevacizumab attenuates major signaling cascades and eIF4E translation initiation factor in multiple myeloma cells. Lab Invest 92(2): 178–190, 2012.

7.         Zismanov V*, Drucker L*, Oshrat Attar-Schneider, Tartakover matalon S, Pasmanik-Chor M, Lishner M.  Tetraspanins stimulate protein synthesis in myeloma cell lines. J Cell Biochem 113(7):2500-10, 2012.

8.         Kitroser E, Pomeranz M, Epstein Shochet G, Fishman A, Drucker L, Sadeh-Mestechkin D, Lishner M, Tartakover Matalon S. The involvement of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E in extravillous trophoblast cell function. Placenta 33(9):717-24, 2012.

9.         Zismanov V*, Drucker L*, Gottfried M. ER homeostasis and motility of NSCLC cell lines can be therapeutically targeted with combined Hsp90 and HDAC inhibitors. Pulm Pharmacol Ther, 2013.

Chapters in books

1.         Heat Shock Proteins. Edited by: Morel and Camille Vincent Published by: Nova publishers, 2008 Chapter in Heat Shock Proteins : Chapter X - Tartakover Matalon S, Drucker L, Lishner M,  The Involvement of Heat Shock Protein 27 in Normal and Cancer Cell Migration; pp. 185-195.

2.         Cancer in Pregnancy and Lactation. Edited by: Gideon Koren and Michael Lishner Published by: Cambridge University Press, 2011 Chapter in  Cancer in Pregnancy and Lactation: Chapter 24- Tartakover-Matalon S, Drucker L and Lishner M,  Effects of the placenta on metastatic breast cancer; pp. 195-205

Grants (2008-2012)

2008 Roche, Israel

2008-2010 Meir Medical Center, Kfar Saba, Israel

2009 Roche, Israel

2012-2013 ICRF, New York, USA