Mentor: Rick Cerione

Education:

B.S., Albright College, 2009

Awards:

First Place Intercollegiate Student Chemists’ Convention Physical Chemistry Division (ISCC 2010)
Departmental Distinction in Chemistry and Biochemistry (Albright 2009)
Undergraduate Award in Analytical Chemistry from ACS division of Analytical Chemistry (Albright 2009)
POLYED Undergraduate Award for Achievement in Organic Chemistry (Albright 2009)
Undergraduate Award in Inorganic Chemistry from ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry (Albright 2009)
Lehigh Valley ACS Organic Chemistry Scholarship Recipient (Lehigh Valley ACS 2008)
Jacob Albright Scholar (Albright 2006-2009)

Research Experience:

Summer 2008, Cephalon
R&D Lead Discovery and Profiling Biochemistry Internship – Cephalon, West Chester PA – Biochemical research of novel small molecule inhibitors for the treatment of cancers.

2009-2010, Albright College
Albright Creative Research Experience (ACRE) Undergraduate Research – Directed by Professors Pamela Artz and Jeffery Wolbach, I developed a computational model to predict small molecule drug-vehicle interactions and complemented predictions with spectroscopic methods to validate precision of computational outcomes.

Current Research Activities:

We are interested in developing biophysical studies to elucidate the mechanism of activation of glutaminase isoform C (GAC), a novel target for the treatment of human cancers by selectively inhibiting the over-activation of glutamine metabolism, caused by an increase in GAC activity, observed in many cancer cell lines. This glutamine consumption, termed ‘glutamine addiction’, is a result of transformed malignant cells increased need for carbon sources for high rates of proliferation. In conjunction with understanding the mechanism of this oncogenic target, it is of interest to understand the precise metabolic transformation associated with cells conversion to the malignant state. Understanding the marked changes in the metabolic profile of cancer cells could elucidate novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of human cancers that are specific to transformed cells metabolic needs. In order to study this change in metabolism, I make use of a stable cell line that transforms to the malignant state upon induction of the oncogene Dbl (for Diffuse B cell lymphoma) and use sensitive analytical techniques such as NMR spectroscopy, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and Mass Spectrometry (MS), to monitor metabolites of interest during the transformation process.

Publication:

Stalnecker, C. A., Ulrich, S. M., Li, Y., Ramachandran, S., McBrayer, M. K., DeBerardinis, R. J., Cerione, R. A., and Erickson, J. W. (2015) Mechanism by which a recently discovered allosteric inhibitor blocks glutamine metabolism in transformed cells, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 112, 394-399. PubMed

Presentations:

Stalnecker, C., Erickson, J.W., Ramachandran, S., Cerione, R. “Understanding Inhibition of Phosphate Activated Glutaminase – A Target for Oncogenic Transformation” Molecular Medicine Work-in-Progress seminar series (2/2/12), Presentation, Cornell University  Ithaca N.Y

Stalnecker, C., Erickson, J.W., Ramachandran, S., Cerione, R. “Targeting Altered Cancer Cell Metabolism – Mitochondrial Glutaminase Regulation and Inhibition by Small Molecules” Chemistry and Chemical biology Graduate and Post-Doc Seminar (4/4/14), Presentation, Cornell University Ithaca N.Y.

Posters:

Stalnecker, C., Erickson, J.W., Ramachandran, S., Cerione, R. “Understanding Inhibition of Phosphate Activated Glutminase – A Target for Oncogenic Transformation” Chemical Biology Interface retreat (10/24/11) Poster, Cornell University, Ithaca N.Y.

Stalnecker, C., Erickson, J.W., Ramachandran, S., Cerione, R. “Targeting Glutamine Metabolism Prevents Oncogenic Transformation – A Molecular Understanding of Inhibition Reveals a Novel Mechanism” Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Association of Chemists summer poster session (7/2013) Poster, Cornell University, Ithaca N.Y.

Stalnecker, C., Erickson, J.W., Ramachandran, S., DeBerardinis, R., Cerione, R. “Targeting glutamine metabolism by understanding mitochondrial glutaminase activation and inhibition by small molecules” Third AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research (9/18/13-9/22/13), Poster, National Harbor MD.

“A real time FRET assay to study glutaminase activation and its inhibition by small molecules targeting glutamine metabolism”, Tumor Metabolism section of Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology (2/24/2013-3/1/2013) Keystone, CO.

A real time FRET assay to study glutaminase activation and inhibition by small molecules that target glutamine metabolism; 2013 Keck Biomembrane Retreat, Ithaca, NY, June 25-27, 2013