Danielle Engel

Danielle Engel serves as Assistant Professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, holding the Helen McLaughlin Development Chair within the Regulatory Biology Laboratory. Her research program bridges fundamental glycobiology with translational pancreatic cancer research, focusing on early detection and therapeutic development.

Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and Asian Studies from Northwestern University and a PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of California, San Diego.

• Bachelor of Arts in Biological Sciences and Asian Studies - Northwestern University
• PhD in Biological Sciences - University of California, San Diego

Engel's research centers on pancreatic cancer pathogenesis, with particular emphasis on the role of glycan CA19-9 in disease progression. She pioneered the development of humanized mouse models incorporating CA19-9 - a critical biomarker absent in standard murine models - enabling unprecedented study of pancreatic inflammation and tumor development. Her laboratory specializes in pancreatic organoid technology, creating miniature 3D cultures that accurately replicate human disease progression from earliest stages. These models address longstanding challenges in distinguishing pancreatitis from pancreatic cancer, with her team discovering that blocking CA19-9 dramatically reduces pancreatitis severity in preclinical models.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on tumor-stroma interactions, biomarker validation, and therapeutic targeting of glycobiology pathways. Her work consistently bridges basic science with clinical applications, particularly in developing early detection methods and overcoming treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through prestigious awards including the 2024 Prebys Research Heroes award, the Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Research Career Development Award in Memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and the 2020 NIH NCI Career Transition K99/R00 Award.

• 2024 Prebys Research Heroes
• Lustgarten Foundation-AACR Pancreatic Cancer Research Career Development Award in Memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• 2021 Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program New Investigator Award
• 2020 NIH NCI Career Transition K99/R00 Award
• 2016-2018 California Breast Cancer Research Program Fellowship

Engel's laboratory operates at the forefront of pancreatic cancer modeling, with significant funding support including NIH grants and foundation awards. Her research program collaborates extensively with clinical partners through the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, translating basic discoveries into potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Current work focuses on validating CA19-9 targeting strategies and developing non-invasive early detection methods.

The Engle Laboratory maintains state-of-the-art facilities for organoid culture, glycobiology analysis, and preclinical modeling, working closely with Salk's core facilities for advanced imaging and genomic analysis. Her team actively develops new methodologies for distinguishing inflammatory conditions from early-stage cancer, with potential applications across multiple gastrointestinal malignancies.