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Home > Directory > Primary Faculty > Carola Neumann, MD

Carola Neumann, MD

Associate Professor & Vice Chair for Precision and Translational Pharmacology
A408 MWRI
can44@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-641-7725

Education

MTA (comparable to baccalaureate degree) as Medical Technical Research Assistant, Naturwissenschaftliches Technikum Landau, i.d. Pfalz, Germany, 1989

MD, Ludwig-Maximilian's University, Medical School, Munich, Germany, 1997
Headshot of Carola Neumann, MD
SCIENCE
The main interest of the Neumann laboratory is to expand our knowledge of cell signaling that is mediated by is in part mediated by oxidation and reducing (redox) reactions. As reactive oxygen species (ROS) deregulate the redox homeostasis and promote tumor formation by initiating an aberrant induction of signaling networks that cause tumorigenenesis, including breast cancer. To investigate the specific mechanisms underlying redox-induced tumorigenesis, the Neumann laboratory focuses on redox-induced posttranslational modifications (PTM) of protein cysteines, which play an important part in cell signaling. Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) is a peroxidase that has emerged as an important protein in cell signaling as it scavenges the second messenger H2O2, binds to and regulates signaling proteins and when knocked out in mice causes a variety of cancers, including breast cancer. Therefore, studying PRDX1 is an ideal model to further our understanding in redox-regulated cell-signaling pathways in breast cancer with the goal to utilize redox-induced PTMs as novel drug-targets in breast cancer therapy. All of these studies include many aspects of translational breast cancer research utilizing basic biochemistry, molecular and cell biology, cell lines, mouse models and clinical samples.
 

BREAST CANCER RESEARCH ADVOCACY
Since its founding in 2014, Dr. Neumann is co-director of the breast cancer research advocacy network (bcRAN). The mission of bcRAN is to build a partnership between breast cancer survivors, covivors, previvors and scientists to accelerate the progress of cancer research.

bcRAN is part of UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Womens Cancer Research Center (WCRC) and Magee Womens Hospital

http://upci.upmc.edu/wcrc/patientAdvocacy.cfm

bcRAN logo

http://www.pharmacology.us/Labs/NeumannLab
 

Journal Articles

Hopkins B, Nadler M, Skoko J, Bertomeu T, Pelosi A, Mousavi Shafaei P, Levine K, Schempf A, Pennarun B, Yang B, Datta D, Oesterreich S, Yang D, Rizzo M, Khosravi-Far R and Neumann CA. A PRDX1-specific redox regulation of the novel FOXO3 miRNA target let-7. Antioxidants and Redox Signaling 28:62-77, 2018.
Turner-Ivey B, Manevich Y Schulte J, Kistner-Griffin E, Jezierska-Drutel A, Yusen L and Neumann CA. A role for Prdx1 in specific redox-regulation of signaling in breast cancer-associated senescence. Oncogene 32:5302-5314, 2013.
Jezierska-Drutel A, Rosenzweig S and Neumann CA.  Role of oxidative stress and microenvironment in breast cancer development and progression.  Advances in Cancer Research 119:107-125, 2013.
Rani V, Neumann CA, Schulte, J. Shao C and Tischfield JA. Prdx1 deficiency in mice promotes tissue specific loss of heterozygosity mediated by deficiency in DNA repair and increased oxidative stress. Mutation Research 735:39-45, 2012.
Neumann CA, Cao J and Manevich Y. Peroxiredoxin 1 and its role in cell signaling. Cell Cycle 8: 4072-4078, 2009.
Cao J, Schulte J, Knight A, Leslie NR, Zagozdzon A, Bronson R, Manevich Y, Beeson C and Neumann CA. Prdx1 inhibits tumorigenesis via regulating PTEN/AKT activity. EMBO J 28: 1505-1517, 2009.
Neumann CA, Krause DS, Carman CV, Das S, Dubey DP, Abraham JL, Bronson RT, Fujiwara Y, Orkin SH and Van Etten RA. Essential role for the peroxiredoxin Prdx1 in erythrocyte antioxidant defence and tumour suppression. Nature 424:561-565, 2003.

Sponsored Research

Characterizing nitro-fatty acids as Rad51 inhibitors as co-treatment in triple negative breast cancer - 2/1/2019 - 1/31/2022
DOD - BC1804671P1