Jocelyn McDonald

Jocelyn McDonald is a Professor at the Division of Biology, Kansas State University. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms of collective cell migration using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Her work bridges fundamental developmental biology with translational cancer research, particularly in glioblastoma invasion.

She earned her Ph.D. in 1998 from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in Cell and Developmental Biology. Her lab investigates how genes controlling collective migration in Drosophila can inform therapeutic strategies for human cancers, with ongoing collaboration at the Cleveland Clinic.

Research interests include:

• Genetic regulation of cell migration
• Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions
• Cytoskeletal dynamics
• Tumor invasion mechanisms
• Drosophila as a cancer model
• Cell adhesion in collective movement

Article trends show a focus on Drosophila border cell models (2023-2024), uncovering conserved genes in glioblastoma (2022-2023), and mechanisms of myosin oscillation (2018). Key themes include protein phosphatases, Rap1 signaling, and cadherin functions.

Labs & Collaborations: McDonald Lab (Kansas State), Cleveland Clinic (glioblastoma research), and interdisciplinary teams in cell biology and cancer genomics.