Amy H. Tang

Amy H. Tang, PhD, is a Professor of Cancer Biology at the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Cell Biology within the Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University. She holds an adjunct position at the Leroy T. Canoles Jr. Cancer Research Center. Her academic journey includes a B.S. from Fudan University, a Ph.D. from Penn State University, and postdoctoral training at HHMI/UC Berkeley. Prior to her current role, she served as an Assistant Professor at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine (2002–2009) before advancing to Associate Professor at Old Dominion (2010–present).

Dr. Tang's research focuses on three core areas: 1) Regulated proteolysis in oncogenic RAS-driven cancers, 2) Innate immunity mechanisms, and 3) Anti-cancer drug resistance. Her work explores SIAH E3 ligases as critical regulators of RAS signaling and potential therapeutic targets in pancreatic, breast, and prostate cancers. Key discoveries include demonstrating SIAH inhibition blocks tumor growth and metastasis.

Her lab has received multiple grants, including funding from the NIH, DOD, and Dorothy G. Hoefer Foundation. Notable achievements include the 2010 AACR-PanCAN Innovative Grant for pancreatic cancer research. Dr. Tang has mentored over 20 students and postdocs, many of whom have won national travel awards and prestigious fellowships. Her team collaborates on translational projects, such as developing biomarker assays for breast cancer prognosis and real-time chemotherapy efficacy monitoring.

Key research outputs include over 50 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Recent work highlights SIAH's role in tumor progression and the potential of targeting this pathway to combat 'undruggable' K-RAS-driven cancers. Ongoing efforts focus on precision medicine strategies at the neoadjuvant stage for metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Tang's lab is part of a multidisciplinary team investigating developmental biology principles to improve cancer therapy, with a focus on evolutionary conserved pathways in Drosophila models.