Our laboratory is actively exploring the roles of the apoptotic inhibitor, survivin. We have developed several transgenic mouse models and in vitro systems to study the function of survivin and its splice variants during both normal development and in cancer.

Awards

Honors and Awards
1984-1988: Brandeis University Justice Merit Scholarship
1987: Charles K. Schiff Memorial Award in Science, Brandeis University
1988: Shalom Research Award, Brandeis University
1988: Summa Cum Laude, Brandeis University
1988: Phi Beta Kappa, Brandeis University
1996: Forbeck Scholar Award for Pediatric Hematology Oncology
2002-2005: Columbus Children's Hospital Research Center (CHRC), Fellow
2005: Best scientific abstract, Columbus Children's Research Institute
2005: The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development- External Grant Reviewer
2006: American Institute of Biological Sciences- Reviewer for Blood and Cancer Panel for DoD
2006: American Institute of Biological Sciences- Reviewer for Childhood Cancer Panel for DoD
2006: Category P (Doctoral) Status on the graduate faculty in the Graduate Program in Integrated Biomedical Sciences
2006: Category P (Doctoral) Status on the graduate faculty in the Graduate Program in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology
2007: Faculty Status in the Graduate Program in Pathobiology, Brown University

Affiliations

Academic Appointments
July,1999-June, 2007: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University School of Medicine & Public Health, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio
Jan. 2002-June, 2007: Principal Investigator, Center for Childhood Cancer, Columbus Children's Research Institute, Columbus, OH
July, 2007-: Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Hasbro Children's Hospital/Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University
July, 2007-: Principal Investigator, Department of Pediatrics, Brown University

Funded Research

GRANTS

Active:
NIH- NIDDK R21
PI: Rachel A. Altura
Title: Novel genetic model of diabetes

JDRF: Innovation Award
Title: Inhibition of beta-cell loss by survivin gene targeting
PI: RA Altura


Bridge Funds RIH
PI: Rachel A. Altura
Funding to support laboratory staff and research supplies.

Completed:
Hope Street Kids Foundation Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Title: Survivin-targeted therapy for pediatric solid tumors
Fellow: Dr. Hugo Caldas
Mentor: Rachel A. Altura
To explore the use of novel molecular therapy targeted to survivin in pre-clinical pediatric solid tumor models


NICHD P30HD34615-05
Junior Investigator Award-Child Health Research Award: Altura, RA
PI: Dr. Thomas Hansen
Funds: partial salary


NIH T32
7/2003-7/2005
Jason Fangusaro, M.D. clinical hematology-oncology fellowship research award
Funds: salary of fellow
Mentor: Rachel A. Altura
This is a fellowship award for exceptional research fellows. Dr. Fangusaro investigated novel gene expression patterns in pediatric medulloblastoma.

The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation
10/2003-10/2004
PI: Rachel A. Altura
Title: In vitro analysis of the effects of survivin-siRNAs in pediatric brain tumor cell lines
The major goal of this work was to characterize the molecular effects of survivin-siRNAs on tumor cell growth in medulloblastoma cell lines.

Hope Street Kids Foundation
7/2002-12/2004
PI: Rachel A. Altura
Title: A genetic approach to dissect the role of survivin in the Rb/E2F pathway
The goal of this project was to examine the transcriptional regulation of survivin by E2F.

Children's Research Institute Internal Grant
2000-2001
Title: Design and construction of a conditional knock-out of the mouse survivin gene – work performed by myself in Dr. Gustavo Leone's Laboratory

American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant
2000-2001
PI: Rachel A. Altura
Title: Oncogene regulation of survivin in mouse embryo fibroblasts- work performed by myself in Dr. Gustavo Leone's Laboratory

View My Full Publication List in pdf format

Selected Publications

• Zwerts. F., Lupu, F., De Vriese, A., Pollefeyt, A., Moons, L., Altura, R.A., Jiang, Y., Maxwell, P., Hill, P., Oh, H., Rieker, C., Collen, D., Conway, S.J., Conway, E.M. Lack of endothelial cell survivin during embryonic development causes defects in angiogenesis and neural tube closure. Blood, 109(11):4742-52, Jun 2007.(2007)
• Caldas, H., Fangusaro, J.R., Boue, D.R., Holloway, M.P., Altura, R.A. Dissecting the role of Endothelial Survivin Variants in Angiogenesis. Blood, 109: 1479-1489, Feb 2007.(2007)
• Caldas, H., Jaynes, F.O., Boyer, M.W., Hammond, S., Altura, R.A. Survivin and Granzyme B-Induced Apoptosis (SAGA), a Novel Anticancer Therapy. Mol Can Ther, 5(3): 693-703, 2006.(2006)
• Fangusaro, J.R., Caldas, H., Jiang, Y., Altura, R.A. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis in pediatric cancer. Pediatric Blood and Cancer ;47(1):4-13, July 2006.(2006)
• Caldas, H., Holloway, M.P., Hall, B., Qualman, S., Altura, R.A. Survivin-directed short-interfering RNA cocktail is a potent suppressor of tumor growth in vivo. J Med Genetics, 43(2):119-28, Feb 2006.(2006)
• Caldas, H., Honsey, L., Altura, R.A. Survivin 2alpha: A Novel Survivin Splice Variant Expressed in Malignancies. Molecular Cancer, 4(1):11, March 2005.(2005)
• Caldas, H., Jiang, Y., Holloway, M.P., Mahotka, C., Fangusaro, J., Conway, E.M., Altura, R.A. Survivin Splice Variants Regulate the Balance Between Proliferation and Cell Death. Oncogene, 24 (12):1994-2007, March 2005.(2005)
• Fangusaro, J.R., Jiang, Y., Holloway, M.P., Caldas, H., Singh, V., Boué, D.R., Hayes, J., Altura, R.A. Survivin, Survivin-2B and Survivin-deltaEx3 Expression in Medulloblastoma: Biologic Markers of Tumor Morphology and Clinical Outcome. Br J Cancer, 92: 359-365, 2005.(2005)
• Jiang, Y., De Bruin, A., Caldas, H., Fangusaro, J., Hayes, J., Conway, E.M., Robinson, M.L., Altura, R.A. Essential role for survivin in early brain development. J Neuroscience, 25 (30): 6962-70, July 2005.(2005)
• Jiang, Y., Saavedra, H.I., Holloway, M.P., Leone, G., Altura, R.A. Regulation of survivin by the Rb/E2F pathway. J Biol Chem, 279: 40511-20, 2004.(2004)