معرفی
Jessi Blackburn, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky, with affiliation at the Markey Cancer Center. Her research focuses on pediatric cancers, particularly T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), using zebrafish models to uncover oncogenic drivers and mechanisms of relapse.
- Position: Assistant Professor
- Department: Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
- School: College of Arts and Sciences
- Institution: University of Kentucky
- Affiliation: Markey Cancer Center
Education:
- B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Centre College
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Dartmouth Medical School
- Postdoctoral Fellowship in Cancer Biology, Harvard University
Her research lies at the intersection of cancer genomics, epigenetics, and developmental biology. She leverages zebrafish as a powerful in vivo model to study tumor initiation, progression, and relapse with high throughput. Her lab investigates pathways such as PRL3 phosphatase and mitochondrial metabolism in leukemia stem cells, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets. She employs transgenic and transplantation approaches, single-cell sequencing (Drop-seq), and in vivo drug screening to dissect tumor heterogeneity and resistance mechanisms.
The publications reflect a consistent focus on cancer biology, particularly using zebrafish models to understand leukemia. Key themes include oncogenic phosphatases (PRLs), mitochondrial dysfunction in cancer, tumor relapse, and quiescent cell populations. The research is highly translational, aiming to bridge findings from model organisms to human cancer therapeutics.
Dr. Blackburn has received competitive research funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), NIGMS, American Cancer Society (ACS-IRG), and the V Foundation for Cancer Research. These grants support her work on PRL3 in leukemia and high-throughput screening for compounds that eliminate relapse-causing cells.
While specific students are not listed, her lab conducts graduate and postgraduate research, contributing to training in molecular oncology and model organism genetics. Her lab is equipped for zebrafish husbandry, transgenesis, transplantation, imaging, and molecular biology, and collaborates with human cell line and mouse xenograft models.
