2022


Emily presented a short talk on ‘Targeting the PI3K/AKT Pathway in Cancer using a Pan-AKT Degrader’ at a conference on Targeted Protein Degradation: From Drug Discovery to the Clinic hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences on Dec 8.


Paper published! Alex and Emily co-authored a paper in PLOS Genetics with Ralitsa Madsen and Bart Vanhasebroeck. Madsen RR, Erickson EC, Rueda OM, Robin X, Caldas C, Toker A, Semple RK, Vanhaesebroeck B. Positive correlation between transcriptomic stemness and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling scores in breast cancer, and a counterintuitive relationship with PIK3CA genotype. PLoS Genet. 2021 Nov 11;17(11):e1009876.


Paper published! Alex, Hui and Renee co-authored a paper in Nature Cell Biology with the lab of Myles Brown at DFCI. Li Y, Qiu X, Wang X, Liu H, Geck RC, Tewari AK, Xiao T, Font-Tello A, Lim K, Jones KL, Morrow M, Vadhi R, Kao PL, Jaber A, Yerrum S, Xie Y, Chow KH, Cejas P, Nguyen QD, Long HW, Liu XS, Toker A, Brown M. FGFR-inhibitor-mediated dismissal of SWI/SNF complexes from YAP-dependent enhancers induces adaptive therapeutic resistance. Nat Cell Biol. 2021 Nov;23(11):1187-1198.


The lab welcomes new post-doc Tashbib Khan, recent graduate from the University of Queensland, Australia. Welcome Tash!!


Alex has been named the recipient of the 2022 Avanti Award in Lipids from the ASBMB, and will be giving an award lecture at the ASBMB Annual meeting at EB2022 in Philadelphia, April 2-5.


Alex has been appointed the new Editor in Chief for the Journal of Biological Chemistry! His 5-year term began October 1st. Read the announcement here.


The lab welcomes new BBS rotation student Tevis Vitale for his first lab rotation. Welcome Tevis!


The lab welcomes new BBS rotation student Wafa Malik for her first lab rotation. Welcome Wafa!


The lab bids farewell to Caroline Zarzuela having completed her time the HMS RSI program. Farewell and best of luck Caroline!  


The lab welcomes new PhD student in the BBS program Josefina Mendez. Welcome Josefina!!


Alex gave a Zoom seminar at the University of Modena, Italy on May 20.


Alex gave a Zoom seminar at the University of Padova, Italy on April 29.


The lab welcomes new post-doc Gilbert Salloum, recent graduate from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Welcome Gilbert!!


Alex gave a Zoom seminar at MSKCC Breast SPORE Rounds on March 16.


Alex gave a Zoom lecture at the University of Bath Center for Therapeutic Innovation on March 11.


Alex gave a Zoom seminar at the Institute of Cell Biology and Immunology at the University of Stuttgart, Germany on Feb. 4


Alex gave a Zoom seminar at the Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism at the Perelman School of Medicine at U Penn on Jan 26.


2020


Alex has been awarded an R35 Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute! Read all about it and the other OIA awardees here!


Alissandra and Alex have co-authored a Cancer Cell preview on PI3K and breast cancer biomarker detection.


The lab welcomes Caroline Zarzuela, enrolled in the HMS Research Scholar Initiative. Welcome to the lab Caroline!


The lab welcomes Josefina Mendez who will be joining the lab for her first rotation in the BBS graduate program. Welcome Josefina!


Amber Chopelas has left the lab and moved onto new and exciting adventures at Georgetown U. Farewell and best of luck Amber!


Sam Barritt has been awarded an F31 Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award from the NCI. Congrats Sam!!


The Toker lab welcomes Riley Harrison, undergraduate student in the HMS SHURP (Summer Honors Undergraduate Research Program) for the summer. Welcome Riley!


Paper published! Metabolic reprogramming in endothelial cells exposed to hypoxia!  Congrats to Emily Cohen!

Cohen EB, Geck RC, Toker A. Metabolic pathway alterations in microvascular endothelial cells in response to hypoxia. PLoS One. 2020 Jul 9;15(7):e0232072.


Emily Erickson has been awarded an F31 Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award from the NCI. Congrats Emily!!


Paper Published! Congrats to Hui Liu for a tour de force published in Cancer Discovery!

Liu H, Paddock MN, Wang H, Murphy CJ, Geck RC, Navarro AJ, Wulf GM, Elemento O, Haucke V, Cantley LC, Toker A. The INPP4B Tumor Suppressor Modulates EGFR Trafficking and Promotes Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2020 Jun 8:CD-19-1262.


Grace Perry  has joined the lab as a new Research Assistant. Welcome to the lab Grace!  


Alissandra Hillis has been awarded a Landry Cancer Research Fellowship for 2020! Congrats Ali!!


Alissandra Hillis has been awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Congrats Ali!!


Adrija Navarro has been awarded an F31 Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award from the NCI. Congrats Adrija!!


Laura Ghisolfi has left the lab and moved onto new and exciting adventures at Accent Therapeutics. Farewell and best of luck Laura!


Emily Cohen has left the lab and moved onto new and exciting adventures at Kronos Bio. Farewell and best of luck Emily!


Renee Geck has left the lab and headed onto new and exciting adventures for her postdoc at the University of Washington Department of Genome Sciences. Farewell and best of luck Renee!


Paper published! On the same day that Renee Geck  defends her PhD thesis, her paper published in the JBC! Geck RC, Foley JR, Murray Stewart T, Asara JM, Casero RA Jr, Toker A. Inhibition of the polyamine synthesis enzyme ornithine decarboxylase sensitizes triple-negative

breast cancer cells to cytotoxic chemotherapy. J Biol Chem. 2020 doi: 10.1074/jbc.RA119.012376.


Banner Event in the Toker Lab! Renee Geck defended her PhD Thesis in the BBS program at HMS. Congratulations Dr. Geck!!!


The Toker lab gathers for Super Bowl LIV which this year due to an unfortunate administrative error does NOT feature the New England Patriots. Still, there’s always next year..!


News and Views article by Alex Toker in Science magazine on new paper on double PIK3CA mutations in cancer. Toker A. Double trouble for cancer gene. Science. 2019;366(6466):685–686. doi:10.1126/science.aaz4016


Paper published! What a way to start the new year and decade! Congratulations to Emily Erickson, graduate student in the BBS Program, for a co-first paper.

    You I, Erickson EC, Donovan KA, et al. Discovery of an AKT Degrader with Prolonged Inhibition of Downstream Signaling. Cell Chem Biol. 2020;27(1):66–73.e7. doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.11.014



2019


Alex gave a talk in the Department of Molecular Biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, December 3rd


Annual Manning-Toker-Dibble labs Retreat at Oliver Lodge, Lake  Winnipesaukee, NH, September 25-27. 3 days of science, fun and games! Photos here.


Alex gave a talk at the PTEN and its Pathways Symposium at BIDMC, Sept 24-25.


Toker Lab Summer BBQ August 2019. Burgers, dogs and s’mores!


Toker Lab Summer Fun Day at the Barnstable County Fair on Cape Cod, July 27! Rides, goats, deep fried stuff, and so much more!!


Alex and Emily Erickson attended the FASEB Science Research Conference on Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphorylation in  Palm Springs, July 7-12. Alex gave a talk, and Emily presented

a short talk. Alex is the co-chair of this SRC in 2021 along with Anton Bennett, Yale U.  


Renee attended the Gordon Research Conference on Polyamines In Waterville Valley, NH. Renee was selected for a short talk, and won a travel award! Congrats Renee!


Alex gave a talk at the Center for Therapeutic Innovation International Showcase meeting at the University of Bath, UK, on June 25th.


Alex and Hui attended and presented at a symposium at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research on June 21st to celebrate Lew Cantley’s 70th birthday AND the approval of the PIK3CA inhibitor Piqray!! So many old friends and colleagues to celebrate with!


Ther lab bids farewell to Richard Thornton who heads off to Princeton for his PhD studies. Best of luck Richard!


The lab welcomes new research assistant Amber Chopelas. Welcome Amber!!


The lab welcomes back new BBS graduate student Alissandra Hillis who joins the Toker lab for her PhD research. Welcome Ali!!


Sam attended and presented a poster at the CSHL Meeting on Mechanisms of Metabolic Signaling


Alex receives a new R01 award from the National Cancer Institute!


Alex is part of a DFCI/HSPH/BIDMC team that receives a grant award from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation to study the targeting of androgen receptor in breast cancer patients.


Renee receives an award from the PEO, the Philanthropic  Educational Organization, devoted to advancing women in science.  Congrats Renee!!


Adrija Navarro receives best poster prize at the annual Landry Cancer Biology Consortium Symposium. Congrats to Adrija!!


Sam Barritt and Adrija Navarro pass their pre-qualifying exams with flying colors!! Congrats!!


Lab Ski Trip at Gunstock, NH! Alpine and Nordic skiing, and some apes-ski! Photos here.


Lab Dim Sum outing on St Patrick’s Day, of course! Yum!!


Team building and nerdy fun Lab outing at Boda Borg!


Alex receives a 2019 Exceptional Project Grant Award from the  Breast Cancer Alliance, to study precision medicine approaches to  target triple negative breast cancer!


The lab ‘celebrates’ another New England Patriots Super Bowl Victory!  That’s 6 for the home town team!!


Alex gave a seminar in the Cancer Genetics and Genomics Department at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Buffalo, NY.


The lab welcomes Alissandra Hillis for her second rotation in the HMS BBS Program. Welcome Ali!



2018


The lab bids farewell to Veronica Cocetta and Cecilia Perrone. Best of luck Veronica and Ceci!


Alex gave a talk at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, Dec 3-7, in the session on Metabolic Reprogramming in Breast Cancer


Alex gave a seminar at NYU School of Medicine, Perlmutter Cancer Center


Toker Lab annual Halloween Party! A lot of black and some gold this year! Photos here!


Hui gave a talk at the first DF/HCC Preclinical Cancer Science Symposium in the Jimmy Fund Auditorium at the DFCI! Renee won a best poster prize!


The Red Sox win the World Series and the Toker lab celebrates!


Alex gave a talk at the 58th Annual ABR Meeting in Bologna, Italy.


The Annual Manning-Toker-Dibble Labs Retreat at Oliver Lodge, Meredith, New Hampshire. Three days of science and fun! Photos here!


Alex gave the Keynote Lecture at the University of Torino Annual Research Day, hosted by Prof. Emilio Hirsch.    


Alex won the 2018 BBS Award for Mentoring and attended the annual program retreat with his students. Congrats, Alex!


Toker lab Summer Fun Day, thwarted by the rain.. Bowling, flatbread and drinks! Photos here.



The lab welcomes Veronica Cocetta, PhD student from the University of Padova. Welcome Veronica!!


The lab welcomes back Adrija Navarro who joins the Toker Lab for her PhD. Welcome back Adrija!!


Alex gave a talk at the FASEB Summer Research Conference on Cell Signaling in Cancer: From Mechanisms to Therapy, June 3-8, Steamboat Springs, CO. Emily Cohen gave a short talk, and Emily Erickson presented a poster. Photos here!


Alex gave a talk at the Dana Farber / Harvard Cancer Center Symposium on Cancer Metabolism, May 23.  


The lab welcomes Georgia Stirtz for her third rotation in the BBS graduate program. Welcome Georgia!


Hui gave a talk at the annual Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Breast and Gynecologic Symposium, March 16.


Paper published! Congrats to Emilie Clement! Skp2-dependent reactivation of AKT drives resistance to PI3K inhibitors. Emilie Clement,  Hiroyuki Inuzuka, Naoe T. Nihira, Wenyi Wei, Alex Toker. Science Signaling 2018: Vol. 11, Issue 521, eaao3810 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aao3810

    View the Summary, Abstract, Full Text and download PDF.



Toker Lab Annual Ski trip at Waterville Valley, NH, March 5th 2018! Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, drinks and only one minor injury! See more pics here.


Renee Geck and recent Toker lab alumni Evan Lien and Kristin Brown attended and presented posters at the Keystone Symposium on Tumor Metabolism in SnowBird, Utah, January 21 2018.


The lab welcomes Adrija Navarro for her second rotation in the BBS program. Welcome Adrija!


2017


Paper published!! Congrats to Evan Lien!  Oncogenic PI3K promotes methionine dependency in breast cancer cells through the cystine-glutamate antiporter xCTEvan C. Lien, Laura Ghisolfi, Renee C. Geck, John M. Asara and Alex Toker. Sci. Signal. 19 Dec 2017: Vol. 10, Issue 510

        Also read the press release by the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research


Alex gave a talk at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute on December 18.


Paper published!! Congrats to Hui Liu!   Liu H, Murphy CJ, Karreth FA, Emdal KB, White FM, Elemento O, Toker A, Wulf GM, Cantley LC. Identifying and Targeting Sporadic Oncogenic Genetic Aberrations in Mouse Models of Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2017 Dec 4. pii:CD-17-0679. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-17-0679.


Alex gave a talk at Case Western Reserve University, November 5


Alex gave a talk in the Department of Pharmacology at Boston University School of Medicine, October 11.


Christian Dibble has been promoted to Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School!! He will be starting his own lab in the Dept. Pathology at BIDMC. Congrats Christian!


First annual Manning/Toker labs retreat at Oliver Lodge Lake Winnipesaukee, NH, Sept 19-21!


The lab welcomes Sam Barritt, PhD student in the HMS BBS graduate program, for his first lab rotation. Welcome Sam!


Alex gave a talk at the FASEB Science Research Conference on Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphorylation at Robinson College, Cambridge University, UK, August 6-11.


The lab welcomes Emily Erickson who has joined the lab for her PhD in the BBS Program. Welcome back Emily!


The lab welcomes Richard Thornton who joins the lab as a post-baccalaureate student enrolled at Harvard University. Welcome Richard!


The lab welcomes Emily Erickson for her rotation in the HMS BBS Program. Welcome Emily!


The lab welcomes Tiara Lacey who joins the lab as part of her internship for the 2018 SHURP Program at HMS. Welcome Tiara!


Evan Lien received his PhD From Harvard University during the 2107 Commencement Exercises!!


The lab bids farewell to Francisco Beca and Ozlem Senol-Cosar who move on to new adventures. Best of luck!


Review published! Manning BD, Toker A. AKT/PKB Signaling:

Navigating the Network. Cell. 2017 Apr  20;169(3):381-405. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.04.001.


Alex is featured in a video on the whizzo new JBC web page!


Another review published! Lien EC, Dibble CC, Toker A. PI3K signaling in cancer: beyond AKT. Current Opinion in  Cell Biology. 2017 Mar 23;45:62-71. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2017.02.007


Paper published! Brown KK, Spinelli JB, Asara JM, Toker A. Adaptive Reprogramming of De Novo  Pyrimidine Synthesis Is a Metabolic Vulnerability in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Cancer Discov. 2017 Mar 2. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-16-0611.

BIDMC press release here, and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research press release here.


Alex gave a talk in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine on March 2.


Renee has been awarded an F31 graduate student fellowship from the National Cancer Institute. Congrats Renee!!


Alex gave a talk in the Department of Biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine on February 6.


Alex gave a talk at Loyola University Chicago and the Stritch School of Medicine on January 18.


The lab welcomes Francisco Beca, Instructor in Pathology and expert in precision cancer diagnostics. Welcome Francisco!


Evan Lien has left the lab and joined the laboratory of Matthew Vander Heiden at MIT/Koch Institute, Best of luck Evan!!


Whitney Henry has left the lab and joined the laboratory of Bob Weinberg at MIT/Whitehead Institute. Best of luck Whitney!!


2016


Paper published! Aspirin suppresses growth in PI3K-mutant breast cancer by activating AMPK and inhibiting mTORC1 signaling  Whitney S Henry, Tyler Laszewski, Tiffany Tsang, Francisco Beca, Andrew H. Beck, Sandra S McAllister and Alex Toker. Cancer Res December 9 2016 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-2400


Alex gave yet another talk at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan, Yokohama,  on December 2.


Alex gave yet another talk at the Fox Chase Cancer Center Research Symposium on Akt Signaling Celebrating 25 Years of Akt.


Alex gave a talk in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Wright State University on November 17. 


Alex gave a talk in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Iowa on October 25.


Alex gave a talk at the 19th Annual John B. Little Symposium at the Harvard School of Public Health on October 22.


Emily Cohen has received a T32 NHLBI Training Grant award. Congrats Emily!


The lab welcome Blake Chancellor for his BBS PhD lab rotation. Welcome Blake!


Paper published! Henry, W., Hendrickson, D., Beca, F., Glass, B., Lindahl-Allen, M., He, L., Ji, Z., Struhl, K., Beck, A., Rinn, J., & Toker, A. (2016). LINC00520 is induced by Src, STAT3, and PI3K and plays a functional role in breast cancer. Oncotarget, 5.


The lab welcomes new post-doctoral fellow Ozlem Senol-Cosar, who recently completed her PhD at U Mass Worcester. Welcome Ozlem!


The lab bids farewell to Caterina Vianello who returns home to Padova to complete her PhD. Ciao Caterina, best of luck, we will miss you!


The lab bids farewell to Whitney Henry, who will be moving to MIT and the laboratory of Bob Weinberg for her post-doctoral fellowship. Best of luck Whitney, we will miss you!


The lab bids farewell to Kristin Brown, who will be starting her own research laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne, Australia! Best of luck Kristin, we will miss you!


The lab bids farewell to Tiffany Tsang, who will be starting graduate school at U Penn! Best of luck Tiffany, we will miss you!


The lab welcomes Hui Liu, Instructor in Medicine, and KangKang Yang, Research Assistant, as the newest members of the Toker lab! Welcome!!


The lab welcomes Laura Ghisolfi, new Senior Research Associate. Welcome Laura!


Banner event! Whitney Henry was married to Joel Durand in a beautiful ceremony in St. Lucia, June 11!! Congrats to the lovely couple!


Alex was awarded a new R01 grant from the NCI on: Exploiting Metabolic Vulnerabilities in the PI3K and Akt Pathway in Cancer for Therapeutic Benefit


Alex gave a seminar at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology, May 24.


Alex gave a talk at the FASEB Science Research Conference on Cell Signaling in Cancer: From Mechanisms to Therapy in Snowmass, CO.


Whitney Henry received her PhD From Harvard University during the 2106 Commencement Exercises!!


Paper Published! Lien EC, Lyssiotis CA, Juvekar A, Hu H, Asara JM, Cantley LC, Toker A. Glutathione biosynthesis is a metabolic vulnerability in PI(3)K/Akt-driven breast cancer. Nat Cell Biol. 2016 May;18(5):572-8. doi: 10.1038/ncb3341.

   See the BIDMC press release and other press here (Science Daily) and here (HMS).  


Paper Published! Maria Mancini, Evan Lien and Alex Toker. Oncogenic ATK1(E17K) mutation induces mammary hyperplasia but prevents HER2-driven tumorigenesis. Oncotarget 2016, DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.8191

  The paper made the cover, and you can also see an interview with Alex and Maria here!


The lab welcomes Sneha Dutta from the Harvard School of Public Health for her PhD rotation!


The lab welcomes Caterina Vianello, from the University of Padova, joining the lab for 6 months. Welcome Caterina! 


Review published! Renee Geck and Alex Toker. Nonessential Amino Acid Metabolism in Cancer. Advances in Biological Regulation, 2016: Jan 21.pii: S2212-4926(15)30042-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jbior.2016.01.001.


Evan Lien has been awarded an Albert J. Ryan Fellowship for 2016. Congratulations Evan!


Lab Baby!! Alex Toker and Nicole Homeier welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Leyla Lea Homeier-Toker.


Alex gave a seminar at Hokkaido University, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Sapporo, Japan, on January 29 2016.



2015


Alex gave a talk at the ABR special International Symposium on phospholipid-related signaling in Physiology and Pathology at Gyeongiu, South Korea, December 11 2015

Alex gave a seminar at KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) on December 10, 2015

Alex gave a seminar at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in the Department of Cancer Biology on November 10, 2015

Banner event! Whitney Henry defended her PhD Thesis in the Biological and Biomedical Science Graduate Program at HMS in October 16, 2015! Congratulations Whitney!!

Alex gave a seminar at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in the Department of Oncological Sciences, New York City, October 20, 2015.

The labs bids farewell to Kali Ferrell, Toker lab manager who is moving back to Seattle to pursue new and exciting adventures, Bets of luck Kali!!

The lab bids farewell to Emilie Clement, who is joining CPC scientific. Best of luck Emilie!!

The lab welcomes Renee Geck who joins the Toker lab for her PhD.

Toker lab Summer Fun Day at Kimball Farm! Friday June 26. Mini gold, bumper boats, ice cream and more!

Alex was featured in an ASBMB Todays Father’s Day piece about scientist’s dads!

Paper Published! Brown KK, Montaser-Kouhsari L, Beck AH, Toker A. MERIT40 Is an Akt Substrate that Promotes Resolution of DNA Damage Induced by Chemotherapy. Cell Rep. 2015 Jun 9;11(9):1358-66. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2015.05.004.

The lab welcomes Rubye Peyser and Kelsey Gallant, undergraduate summer interns in the Toker lab.

Whitney Henry was awarded a Women in Cancer Research (WICR) Scholar Award at the AACR Annual Meeting in Philadelphia! Congrats Whitney!!

Alex Toker, Kristin Brown and Whitney Henry attended the Annual AACR Meeting in Philadelphia, April 18-22 2015. Alex chaired a mini-symposium, and Kristin and Whitney presented posters!

Whitney Henry has been busy! She presented posters at the New England Science Symposium (April 11,2015), the 11th Annual Junior Investigators' Health Disparities Research Poster Session at DFIHCC (May 7th 2015) and the Harvard Graduate Women in Science and Engineering Symposium (April 25, 2015).

Abbe Clark has been awarded an F31 pre-doctoral fellowship from the NIH! Congratulations Abbe!

Paper published! Kaunisto A, Henry WS, Montaser-Kouhsari L, Jaminet SC,Oh EY, Zhao L, Luo HR, Beck AH, Toker A. NFAT promotes intratumoral neutrophil  infiltration by regulating ILB expression in breast cancer  Mol Oneal.2015 Feb 19. pii: 81574-7891(15)00027-7. doi: 10.1016/j.molonc.2015.02.004.

Evan Lien has been awarded a Cell and Developmental Biology Training Program Award from HMS! Congrats Evan!!

Review published! Brown, K. and Taker, A. The Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Pathway and Therapy Resistance in Cancer.  F1000Prime Rep2015, 7:13 (doi: 10.12703/P7-13)

Alex, Evan, Christian and Kristin attended the Keystone Symposia on 'PI3-Kinase Signaling Pathways in Disease' in Vancouver, Canada, January 13-18. Alex gave a talk and Evan and Kristin had posters.


2014


Paper published! Jessica A. Gasser, Hiroyuki lnuzuka, Alan W. Lau, Wenyi Wei, Rameen Beroukhim, Alex Taker, SGK3 Mediates INPP4B-Dependent P13K Signaling in Breast Cancer, Molecular Cell 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2014.09.023.

Alex gave a seminar at Tufts University School of Medicine in the Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences on October 28,2014.

Alex gave a talk at the AACR focused meeting 'Targeting the P13K-mTOR Network in Cancer', Philadelphia, PA, September 14-17,2014.

The lab welcomes Renee Geck for her first rotation in the HMS BBS program. Welcome Renee!!

The lab welcomes Tiffany Tsang, new Research Assistant in the lab. Welcome Tiffany!!

Casey Stottrup has left the lab to attend graduate school. Best of luck Casey!

Alex presented a talk at the FASEB Science Research Conference on 'lipids and lipid-Regulated Kinases in Cancer' in Steamboat Springs, CO, July  27-August 1.

Hannah Anthony has left the lab to attend graduate school. Best of luck Hannah!

Alex organized and gave a talk at Lewposium 20141 The Lewis Cantley Legacy: 20 years of Trailblazing Cancer Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, June 27, 2014.

Alex gave a seminar at the UC Davis Cancer Center on May 15 2014

Paper published! Chin YM, Yuan X, Balk SP, Taker A. PTEN-deficient tumors depend on Akt2 for maintenance and survival. Cancer Discov. 2014 May 16 doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-0873 and we made the cover!!

Alex gave a talk at the Biochemical Society Symposium on Membrane Morphology and Function in Fara San Martino, Abruzzo, Italy, May 5-8.

Whitney Henry was selected as a 2014 Harvard Horizons Scholar, and presented a talk at the Harvard Horizons Symposium at the Sanders Theatre, April22nd,2014. Congrats Whitney!!

Jessica Bradshaw has left the lab to pursue a post-doc at The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in the lab of David Altshuler. Best of luck Jess beta!

Alex has been appointed Chief of the Division of Signal Transduction in the Department of Medicine, Department of Pathology and Cancer Center at the BIDMC. He also leads the Program in Cancer Signaling at the Cancer Center.

Alex presented a talk at the 2014 AACR Annual Meeting, San Diego, April 4-9.

Sivan Elloul has left the lab and joined Karyopharm. Best of luck Sivan!

The lab attended the 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Symposium on PTEN Pathways and Targets, March 25-28. Alex and Christian gave talks, and Emilie, Evan and Rebecca presented posters.

Whitney Henry has been awarded an Albert J. Ryan Fellowship for 2014.Congratulations Whitney!

Alex gave a talk at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research in Basel, Switzerland on January 22, 2014.

Alex presented a talk at Cancer Grand Rounds at SUNY Stonybrook on January 9 2014.


2013


Banner event! Jessica Gasser defense her PhD Thesis on December 18,2013!1 Congratulations Dr. Jessica  beta!!

Paper published! Targeting Akt3 Signaling in Triple Negative Breast Cancer. Y Rebecca Chin, Taku Yoshida, Andriy Marusyk, Andrew H. Beck, Komelia Polyak and Alex Toker. Cancer Research 2013  doi:  10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-2175    Featured in F1000!

Alex gave a talk at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research on December 4,2013.

Alex Toker is featured in an interview as a new JBC Associate Editor in ASBMB Today magazine.

Paper published! The Adherens Junction Protein Afadin is an Akt substrate that Regulates Breast Cancer Cell Migration. Sivan E/foul, Dmitriy Kedrin, Nicholas W. Knoblauch, Andrew H. Beck and Alex Toker. Molecular Cancer Research 2013, doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-13-0398. And we made the covert

The lab welcomes Christian Dibble who joins the Toker lab as a post-doctoral fellow. Welcome Christian!

Alex Toker gave a talk at the 2013 SAIB Symposium on Molecular Mechanisms in Cell Signaling and Gene Expression in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 6-7,2013.

Kristin Brown attended the AACR-NCI-EORTC Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Boston, MA, October  19-23, and presented a poster.

Alex Toker gave a talk at the Workshop on Phosphorylation, Signaling and Disease: Targets and Targeting, in Modena, Italy, 27 September 2013.

Rebecca Chin has been promoted to Assistant Professor of Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School!  Rebecca will be setting up her lab in the Department of Pathology at BIDMC. Congratulations Rebecca!!

Aura Kaunisto has left the lab and taken a position at Alligator Bioscience Lund, Sweden. Best of luck Aural

The lab welcomes back Abbe Clark who is joining the lab for her thesis project. Welcome Abbe!

Alex Toker attended the FASEB Summer Research Conference on Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphorylation in Niagara Falls, NY, July 21-26.

Whitney Henry has been awarded a 2013 Howard Hughes Medical institute (HHMI) International Student  Research Fellowship!! Congratulations Whitney!!

The lab welcomes Rachel Guerra, BBS program, for her lab rotation!

Lab wedding! Jessica Gasser was married to Mike Bradshaw,8 June 2013.Congratulations to the newlyweds!

The lab welcomes Abbe Clark, BBS program, for her lab rotation!

Kristin received a Best Poster Award at this year's Annual HMS Pathology Retreat, May 3 2013. Congrats Kristin!

Alex, Kristin, Emilie, Aura, Sivan and Rebecca attended the 2013 Annual AACR (American Association  for Cancer Research) Meeting in Washinglon,DC,April6-10. Kristin, Emilie, Aura, Sivan and Rebecca presented posters,  and Kristin was awarded a 2013 Women in Cancer Research Scholar Award. Congratulations Kristin!!

Evan Lien has been awarded a 2013 NSF (National Science Foundation) Graduate Research Foundation Fellowship! Congratulations Evan!!

Alex Toker gave a talk at the 2013 Queenstown Molecular Biology  Meetings in Shanghai & The 51st  National Forum on New Technologies in Drug Discovery, Shanghai, China March 11-12 2013.

Alex Toker, Kristin Brown, Rebecca Chin, Emilie Collmann and Evan Lien attended the Keystone Symposia on PI 3- Kinase and Interplay with Other Signaling Pathways in Keystone, Colorado, February 24-28,2013. Kristin, Emilie, Rebecca and Evan presented posters, and Kristin was awarded a  Keystone Symposia Future of Science Fund scholarship!

Alex Toker gave a talk at the 1st International Symposium on Protein Modifications in Pathogenic  Dysregulation of Signaling in Tokyo, Japan, February 1-2,2013.

Lab wedding! Evan Lien was married to RachelHuang,15 December 2012.  Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Alex Toker has joined the editorial board of the Journal of Biological  Chemistry, ASBMB, as Associate Editor.


2012


Alex Toker gave a seminar at Imperial College of Science and Technology, Center for Translational and Experimental Medicine, December 6 2012.

Hannah Anthony has joined the lab as a Research Assistant. Welcome Hannah!!

Casey Stottrup has joined the lab as a Research Assistant. Welcome Casey!!

Paper published! Christoforides, C. V., Rainero, £., Brown, K. K., Norman, J.C. and Toker, A. PKD Controls alphavbeta3 lntegrin Recycling and Tumor Cell Invasive Migration Through its Substrate Rabaptin-5. Developmental Cell 2012, 23 (3), 560.

Colin White has left the lab to take a position at Parcell Laboratories. Best of luck Colin.

Baby published! Sivan Elloul has delivered a perfect baby boy, Alon Elloul, born August 4 2012 at 1:46 PM EST.

Alex Toker and Emilie Collmann attended the FASEB Summer Research Conference on lipid Signaling Pathways in Cancer, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Alex gave a talk and Emilie presented a poster.

Paper published! Shantanu Banerji, Kristian Cibulskis, Claudia Rangel-Escareno, Kristin K. Brown, Scott L Carler, Abbie M.Frederick, MichaelS. Lawrence, Andrey Y.Sivachenko, Carrie Sougnez, Lihua Zou, Maria L Cortes, Juan C. Fernandez-Lopez, Shouyong Peng, Kristin G. Ardlie, Daniel Auclair, Veronica Bautista-Pina, Fujiko Duke, Joshua Francis, Joonil Jung, Antonio Maffuz-Aziz, Robert C. Onofrio, Melissa Parkin, Nam H. Pho, Valeria Quintanar-Jurado, Alex H. Ramos, Rosa Reboffar-Vega, Sergio Rodriguez-Cuevas, Sandra Romero-Cordoba, Steven£ Schumacher,  Nicolas Stransky, Kristin M. Thompson, Laura Uribe-Figueroa, Jose Baselga, Rameen Beroukhim, Komelia Polyak, Dennis C.Sgroi, Andrea L Richardson, Gerardo Jimenez-Sanchez,  Eric S.Lander, Stacey B. Gabriel, Levi A. Garraway, Todd R.Golub, Jorge Melendez-Zajgla, Alex Toker, Gad Getz, Alfredo Hidalgo-Miranda & Matthew Meyerson. Sequence analysis of mutations and translocations across breast cancer subtypes. Nature June 21,  2012.DOI:10.1038/nature11154. Read the press release, and commentaries in The Lancet Oncology, Cancer Discovery, Cancer Network, Nature Reviews Cancer

The lab welcomes Nicholas Toker as a summer intern

Alex Toker gave a seminar in the Department of Cell and Molecular  Pharmacology  and Experimental Therapeutics at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, May 21 2012.

Evan Lien has joined the lab for his PhD Thesis project. Welcome Evan!

Alex Toker gave a talk at the symposium on Cellular Signaling and Regulation, sponsored by the Biochemical Journal at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, March 22 2012.

Alex Toker, Colin White and Sivan Elloul attended the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR),in Chicago March 30- Apri14 2012.Alex gave a talk in the educational session 'Cancer Signaling', and co-chaired the mini-symposium 'Cellular Signaling'.

Heather Gardiner has left the lab and is heading to medical school. Best of luck Heather!!

Alex, Kristin, Rebecca, Jessica, Emilie and Whitney attend the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory symposium on 'PTEN Pathways and Targets' March 13-16,2012.Alex gave a talk, Kristin gave a short talk, and Rebecca, Emilie and Jessica gave poster presentations.

The lab welcomes Kali Ferrell, new Research Assistant. Welcome Kali!

Alex Toker has been awarded a Department  of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP) grant.

Colin White has been promoted to Instructor in Pathology at Harvard Medical School. Congratulations Colin!!


2011


Alex Toker presented at the conference on Advances in Enzyme Regulation in Bologna, Italy, September 25-28,2011.

The lab welcomes Evan Lien,G1 student in the BBS Program at HMS, who is joining the lab for his first rotation. Welcome Evan!

Baby published! Rebecca Chin has delivered a beautiful baby girl, Valerie Sydney Lau, born August 25 2011 at 10:08PM EST.

Paper published! Yiu, G. K., Kaunisto, A., Chin, Y.R. and Toker, A. NFAT Promotes Carcinoma Invasive Migration

Through Glypican-6.Biochemical Journal  2011; doi: 10.1042/BJ20110530

Maria Mancini has left the lab to take a position at Biomodels.  Best of luck Maria!

Aura Kaunisto attended the Gordon Research Conference on Angiogenesis, and presented a poster. She was awarded a travel scholarship from the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation to attend the meeting.

Rebecca Chin has been awarded a K99 Howard Temin Pathway  to Independence Award from the National Cancer Institute. Congratulations Rebecca!

Claudine Cohick has left the lab and joined the laboratory of Dr. Levi Garraway at The Broad Institute in Boston for her post-doc. Best of luck Claudine!!

Alex Toker presented a seminar in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the LSU Health Sciences Center May 5 2011.

The lab welcomes Whitney Henry, G1 student in the BBS Program at HMS, who is joining the lab for her thesis project. Welcome Whitney!

Review published! Chin, R. Y and Toker, A. Akt isoform-specific signaling in breast cancer: Uncovering an anti­ migratory role tor palladin. Cell Adhesion and Migration, 2011: May 1;5(3)

Emilie Collmann has been awarded a 2011 Susan G. Komen for the Cure Postdoctoral fellowship! Congratulations Emilie!

Alex Toker presented a seminar in the Blatter Seminar Series at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, on March 29 2011.

Alex Toker presented a seminar at the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute on March 24 2011.

Alex Toker presented a seminar in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Kentucky  on March 2 2011.

The lab attended the Keystone Symposia on PI3-Kinase Signaling Pathways in Keystone, February 13-18,2011. Alex presented a talk and Maria, Sivan, Emilie Jessica and Kristin presented posters. Jessica was awarded a travel scholarship to attend the meeting!

Alex attended the CNIO Frontiers Breast Cancer symposium in Madrid, February 7-9,2011.

The lab welcomes Karina Gonzalez,G1 student in the BBS PhD program, for her second lab rotation!

The lab welcomes Dr. Colin White, new post-doctoral fellow. Colin received his PhD from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. David Sacks at Brigham and Women's Hospital,  HMS,2008-2010. His research is funded by a DoD Breast Cancer Research Program fellowship. Welcome Colin!

Claudine Cohick defended her PhD Thesis in the Division of Medical Sciences at Harvard Medical School on Friday January 14th,2011. The title of her thesis is "Protein Kinase D Signaling Through Substrate Phosphorylation in Endocytic  Trafficking". Congratulations Dr. Cohick!!


2010


Kristin Brown has been awarded a 2010 John Gavin Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Genesis Oncology Trust of New Zealand! Congratulations Kristin!

November 2010: Alex Toker is promoted to Full Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School!  Magnificent celebrations to follow.

Aura Kaunisto has been awarded a 2010 Orion-Farmos Research Foundation fellowship! Congratulations Aura!

Paper published! Chin, R.Y and Toker, A. Akt2 regulates Expression of the Actin-Bundling Protein Palladin. FEBS Letters 2010, doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2010.10.056

Aura Kaunisto has been awarded a 2010 Oskari Huttunen Foundation fellowship! Congratulations Aural

The Toker lab welcomes new post-doctoral fellow Dr. Aura Kaunisto, who recently received her PhD from the University of Turku and the Turku Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Finland in the laboratory of John E. Eriksson. Welcome Aural

The Toker lab bids farewell to Amy Carr, lab manager and Research Assistant since 2007. Best of luck to Amy at MGH!

Paper published! Fry, J.S. and Toker, A. Secreted and membrane-bound isoforms of protease ADAM9 have opposing effects on breast cancer cell migration. Cancer Research 2010, 70{20): 8187-8198

The lab welcomes Heather Gardiner, new Research Assistant and Toker lab manager. Welcome Heather!

The lab welcomes Whitney Henry, G1 student in the BBS PhD program, for her first lab rotation!

Paper published! Chin, Y.R. and Toker, A. The actin bundling protein Palladin is an Akt1-specific substrate that regulates breast cancer cell migration. Molecular Cell 2010, 38  (31 333-344.

Paper published! Nhek, S., Ngo, M., Yang, X., Ng, M., Field, S. J., Asara, J. M., Ridgeway, N. D. and Toker, A.  Regulation of OSBP Golgi Localization Through Protein Kinase D-mediated Phosphorylation.  Molecular  Biology of the Cell 2010, 21: 2327-2337.

Alex Toker, Sivan Elloul, Rebecca Chin and Maria Mancini attended the 101st Annual AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) Meeting in Washington, DC, April 17-21,2010. Alex co-chaired the Cancer Signaling mini­ symposium, and Rebecca's abstract was selected for an oral presentation, congratulations Rebecca!

Sivan Elloul has been awarded a Department of Defense 2010 Breast Cancer Research Program Post-doctoral fellowship! Congratulations Sivan!

Alex Toker attended the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on PTEN Pathways and Targets, March 16-20,2010.

The Toker lab welcomes  two new post-doctoral fellows. Dr. Emilie Collmann, who recently received her PhD from the University of Basel, Switzerland, in the laboratory of Matthias Wymann. Dr. Kristin Brown, who received her PhD from the University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand, in the laboratory of Christine Winterbourn. Welcome!!

Sokha Nhek has left the lab and joined lmClone Inc.in New York City for her post-doc. She is working in the laboratory of Dr. Laura Benjamin. Best of luck Sokha!!


2009


Jessica Fry has left the lab and joined the laboratory of Dr. Richard Cohen at Boston University School of Medicine for her post-doc. Best of luck Jessica!!

Preview Published!TTC3 Ubiquitination Terminates Akt-ivation. Toker A Developmental Cell 2009: 17, 752-754

Alex Taker presented a seminar at the institute of Cancer at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK, on December 8 2009.

Jessica Fry defended her PhD Thesis in the HMS Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate program on November 19,2009. The title of her Dissertation was 'ADAM9 Metalloproteases and Breast Cancer Cell Migration'.  Congratulations Dr. Jessica Fry!!

Alex Taker presented a seminar at !RIC, lnstitut de Recherche en lmmunologie et en Cancerologie,University of Montreal, Canada, on November 16 2009.

Alex Taker presented a seminar in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular  Biology at the Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon on November 10 2009.

Review Published! NFAT Proteins: Emerging Roles in Cancer Progression. Mancini, M. and Toker A.  Nature Reviews Cancer 2009: 9, 810-820.

Alex Toker presented a seminar at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson on October 26 2009.

Alex Taker attended the workshop on Phospholipid Signaling and Transport, in memory of the late Prof. Moti Liscovitch, at the Weizmann institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, October 15,2009.

Jessica Gasser was awarded a Department of Defense 2009 Breast Cancer Research Program Pre-doctoral fellowship! Congratulations Jess!

Jessica Fry and Maria Mancini attended the AACR focused meeting on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research in Boston, October 8-11, 2009. Jessica gave a poster presentation.

Sokha Nhek defended her PhD Thesis in the HMS Biological and Biomedical Sciences graduate program on September 11,2009. The title of her Dissertation was 'Protein Kinase D Signaling Through Substrate Phosphorylation'. Congratulations Dr. Sokha Nhek!!

Paper published! Storz, P., Doppler, H., Copland,  J. A., Simpson, K. J. and Toker, A. The FOX03a Transcription Factor Promotes Tumor Cell Invasion through the Induction of Matrix Metalloproteinases. Molecular and Cellular Biology 2009, 29 (18): 4906-4917.

Sokha Nhek attended the FASEB Summer Research Conference on Protein Kinases and Protein Phosphorylation in Snowmass Village, CO, July  26-31,2009. Sokha presented a poster on her thesis work.

Alex Taker gave the annual PaulM.Horowitz Memorial lecture in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on May 15 2009.Photos here.

Alex Toker, Jessica Fry and Maria Mancini attended the Annual FASEB/Experimental Biology meeting in New Orleans, LA, April 18-22 2009.Alex was the co-organizer for the Principles of Receptor Signaling Theme for the ASBMB Annual Symposium. Jessica Fry was awarded an ASBMB Poster Prize, congratulations Jessica!

Rebecca Chin attended the  Annual AACR (American Association for Cancer Research) Meeting in Denver, CO, April

18-22. Rebecca's poster was selected for an oral presentation, congratulations Rebecca!

Alex Toker attended the Gordon Conference on Insulin-Like Growth Factors in Physiology and Disease in Ventura, CA, March 22-27 2009.

Paper published! Akt/Protein Kinase 8 and Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3{beta}  Signaling Pathway Regulates Cell Migration through the NFAT1 Transcription Factor. Yoeli-Lerner M, Chin YR, Hansen CK, Toker A. Mol Cancer Res. 2009

Review Published! Function of Akt/PKB signaling to cell motility, invasion and the tumor stroma in cancer. Chin YR, Taker A. Cell Signal. 2009 Apr;21(4):470-6

The lab attended the annual Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Breast Cancer Program retreat at the Harvard Club on March 6, 2009.Rebecca Chin and Jessica Fry gave poster presentations.

Alex Toker presented a seminar at the Center for Engineering in Medicine and Surgical Services at Massachusetts General Hospital on March 13 2009.

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