Ansu Perekatt
Assistant Professor
Charles V. Schaefer, Jr. School of Engineering and Science
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Research
Cancers often relapse: why? My lab is interested in understanding how tumor-initiating cells persist in intestinal cancers. The research focus is on the molecular mechanisms underlying cell-fate plasticity, which allows colon tumor cells to switch their fate to colon cancer stem cells that are responsible for the colon tumor growth. To investigate the mechanism that allows cell fate plasticity, and thus the persistence of colon cancer stem cells, we are using a mutant mouse model that display cell fate-plasticity and tumor initiation. Our research is expected to inform novel therapeutic strategies targeting tumor relapse.
We use a combination of vivo mouse models and ex vivo intestinal organoid cultures to answer our research questions using various molecular biology techniques.
We use a combination of vivo mouse models and ex vivo intestinal organoid cultures to answer our research questions using various molecular biology techniques.
Institutional Service
- Shared Research Facilty Member
- Faculty Gropup Advisory to the Registrar Member
- Faculty Advisory Council Member
- Faculty Advisory Council Member
- Sudent Affairs - Stevens Family Day Member
- Graduate Education Committee Member
- Diversity Equity and Inclusion Member
- Tenure Track Search Committee Chair
- Core instrument facility committee Member
- committee on animal facility expansion Chair
Professional Service
- Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology Peer-reviewer
- Scientific Reports Peer-reviewer
- Journal of Cancer Peer-reviewer
- PLOS ONE Peer-reviewer
- Cancer Research of AACR Reviewer
Honors and Awards
Gallow Award for Outstanding Cancer Research from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR) in years 2014, 2016, and 2018
Professional Societies
- AACR – American Association for Cancer Research Member
- CINJ – Cancer Institute of New Jersey Member
- AACR – American Association for Cancer Research Member
- CINJ – Cancer Institute of New Jersey Member
- NYAS – New York Academy of Sciences Senior member
- AACR – American Association for Cancer Research Member
- CINJ – Cancer Institute of New Jersey Member
- NYAS – New York Academy of Sciences Member
Grants, Contracts and Funds
K22 Career Transition Award from NCI/NIH: $486,000
(September 2018 to Spetember 2022)
(September 2018 to Spetember 2022)
Selected Publications
Zahra Hashemi, Thompson Hui, Alex Wu, Dahlia Matouba, Steven Zukowski, Shima Nejati, Crystal Lim, Julianna Bruzzese, Kyle Seabald, Connor Mills, Cindy Lin, Kylee Wrath, Haoyu Wang, Hongjun Wang, Michael P. Verzi, Ansu Perekatt. . Epithelial-specific loss of Smad4 in the Colon Enhances the Wound Healing Response and Alleviates the Fibrotic Response in an Acute DSS Mouse Model. Invited for publication after peer review in Life Science Alliance.
Zahra Hashemi, Thompson Hui, Alex Wu, Dahlia Matouba, Steven Zukowski, Shima Nejati, Crystal Lim, Julianna Bruzzese, Kyle Seabold, Connor Mills, Cindy Lin, Kylee Wrath, Haoyu Wang, Hongjun Wang, Michael P. Verzi, Ansu Perekattdoi: Loss in the Mouse Intestinal Epithelium Alleviates the Pathological Fibrotic Response to Injury in the Colon. BiorXiv [Preprint]. 2024 Mar 12:2024.03.08.578000. doi: 10.1101/2024.03.08.578000.PMID: 38559102
Li, C.; Shah, J.; Wrath, K.; Mills, C.; Perekatt, A. (2021). 3D Culturing of Organoids from the Intestinal Villi Epithelium Undergoing Dedifferentiation. Journal of Visual Experiments (JoVE) . 2021 Apr 1;(170). doi: 10.3791/61809. (2021 Apr 1;(170) ed.).
https://www.jove.com/embed/player?id=61809&t=1&s=1&fpv=1
Chen, L.; Toke, N. H.; Luo, S.; Vasoya, R. P.; Fullem, R. L.; Parthasarathy, A.; Perekatt, A.; Verzi, M. P. (2019). A reinforcing HNF4-SMAD4 feed-forward module stabilizes enterocyte identity..Nature genetics (5 ed., vol. 51, pp. 777-785).
Perekatt, A.; Shah, P. P.; Cheung, S.; Jariwala, N.; Wu, A.; Gandhi, V.; Kumar, N.; Feng, Q.; Patel, N.; Chen, L.; Joshi, S.; Zhou, A.; Taketo, M. M.; Xing, J.; White, E.; Gao, N.; Gatza, M. L.; Verzi, M. P. (2018). SMAD4 Suppresses WNT-Driven Dedifferentiation and Oncogenesis in the Differentiated Gut Epithelium.. Cancer research (17 ed., vol. 78, pp. 4878-4890).
Zahra Hashemi, Thompson Hui, Alex Wu, Dahlia Matouba, Steven Zukowski, Shima Nejati, Crystal Lim, Julianna Bruzzese, Kyle Seabold, Connor Mills, Cindy Lin, Kylee Wrath, Haoyu Wang, Hongjun Wang, Michael P. Verzi, Ansu Perekattdoi: Loss in the Mouse Intestinal Epithelium Alleviates the Pathological Fibrotic Response to Injury in the Colon. BiorXiv [Preprint]. 2024 Mar 12:2024.03.08.578000. doi: 10.1101/2024.03.08.578000.PMID: 38559102
Li, C.; Shah, J.; Wrath, K.; Mills, C.; Perekatt, A. (2021). 3D Culturing of Organoids from the Intestinal Villi Epithelium Undergoing Dedifferentiation. Journal of Visual Experiments (JoVE) . 2021 Apr 1;(170). doi: 10.3791/61809. (2021 Apr 1;(170) ed.).
https://www.jove.com/embed/player?id=61809&t=1&s=1&fpv=1
Chen, L.; Toke, N. H.; Luo, S.; Vasoya, R. P.; Fullem, R. L.; Parthasarathy, A.; Perekatt, A.; Verzi, M. P. (2019). A reinforcing HNF4-SMAD4 feed-forward module stabilizes enterocyte identity..Nature genetics (5 ed., vol. 51, pp. 777-785).
Perekatt, A.; Shah, P. P.; Cheung, S.; Jariwala, N.; Wu, A.; Gandhi, V.; Kumar, N.; Feng, Q.; Patel, N.; Chen, L.; Joshi, S.; Zhou, A.; Taketo, M. M.; Xing, J.; White, E.; Gao, N.; Gatza, M. L.; Verzi, M. P. (2018). SMAD4 Suppresses WNT-Driven Dedifferentiation and Oncogenesis in the Differentiated Gut Epithelium.. Cancer research (17 ed., vol. 78, pp. 4878-4890).
Courses
Biology and Biotechnology
Immunology
Pathophysiology
Immunology
Pathophysiology