Kayla Steinberger

MD/PhD student

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Microbiology, Immunology & Cell Biology

Classification:

Graduate Assistant

Hello! I am Kayla Steinberger from Belle Center, OH, and I earned my Bachelor's degree in biology from The University of Findlay in May 2016. Currently, I am an MD/PhD candidate pursuing my dissertation research in Dr. Tim Eubank’s laboratory.

Our laboratory is interested in elucidating the role of myeloid cells/mononuclear phagocytes in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment. I am particularly interested in a unique subset of vessel-modifying, tumor macrophages that express endothelial cell receptor TIE2 (TIE2-expressing macrophages/TEMs). Increased number of TEMs is correlated with a poorer prognosis and reduced patient survival in breast cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma patients. We published (Steinberger et al. Journal of Immunology 2020) that in breast tumor-bearing mice, TEMs promote dysfunctional blood vessel formation in solid tumors and are pro-hypoxic limiting chemotherapy treatment in mice. My project is now focused on investigating the role of TIE2 receptor on these cells in angiogenesis and immune suppression within the tumor microenvironment.