Leslie Lupien

As a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Dr. Bandopadhayay, I have been able to combine my background in cancer cell metabolism and oncogenic signaling with genomic, transcriptomic, and gene editing approaches to understand the biology of pediatric brain tumors, elucidate mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies, and pursue combinatorial treatment strategies towards a cure.

Program in Experimental and Molecular Medicine With William B. Kinlaw, MD, studied the role of fat metabolism in cancer cell biology and explored the potential of therapeutically exploiting cancer cell reliance on endogenously-produced or exogenously-acquired fatty acids. Worked in collaboration with organic chemist, Paul Baures, at Keene State University, to discover and develop a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor. Elucidated a novel mechanism for lipoprotein uptake in breast cancer cells, involving lipoprotein lipase and the very low-density lipoprotein receptor. Performed gene expression profiling studies to establish that the relative reliance of breast cancer cells on these two fatty acid acquisition programs (fatty acid synthesis vs. uptake) is impacted by external factors, such as the availability of lipid substrate. Explored the impact of different high-fat diets on breast cancer cells in vivo, with primary analyses being gene expression profiling (RNA sequencing), phospholipidomic analyses, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry.

Involved in research related to the study of various Helicobacter species in animal models. Responsible for performing tasks such as mouse colony management, animal dosing, necropsy, PCR, gel electrophoresis, DNA extraction, genotyping, maintaining organization in the laboratory, and working with researchers to plan the direction of their studies.

Under the mentorship of Professor Elizabeth Colby Davie, I chemically synthesized and tested the cytotoxicity of compounds structurally related to the natural product, montamine. These studies formed the foundation of my senior honors thesis, as well as a subsequent collaborative publication.

Thesis research focused on advancing the understanding of lipid metabolism in breast cancer and its potential as a therapeutic target.