Dominion Tower, 5th fl.
1400 NW 10th Ave.
Miami, FL 33136
(305) 243-6591
Appointments
(305) 243-6090
(800) 380-2554
Vinata B. Lokeshwar
Professor/Co-Director Urology Research
Education
| University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Miami, FL |
Postdoctoral Fellow | 1994 | |
| Saint Louis University Medical School Saint Louis, MO |
Ph.D. | 1989 | |
| Pune University Pune, India |
M.Sc. | 1983 | |
| Bombay University Bombay, India |
Undergraduate | 1980 |
Research Interests
The focus of our laboratory is translational research. Specifically, the laboratory is working on how hyaluronic acid (HA), a non-sulfated glycosaminoglycan, and hyaluronidase (HAase), an endoglycosidase that degrades HA, promote tumor growth, metastasis and angiogenesis. Our laboratory was one of the first to link HAase to tumor progression and to identify the first tumor-derived HAase (i.e., HYAL1). We recently demonstrated that blocking HYAL1 expression in tumor cells inhibits tumor growth, invasion and angiogenesis. However, super expression of HYAL1 expression in tumor cells, at levels that are never found in tumor tissues or cells, inhibits tumor formation. Therefore, HYAL1 can be a tumor promoter or a suppressor depending upon the level of its expression, but in tumor tissues, HYAL1 is a tumor promoter.
Our research on HA and HAase led to the development of a non-invasive urine test (HA-HAase test) for bladder cancer diagnosis and surveillance. We also demonstrated HYAL1 either alone or together with HA is an accurate prognostic marker for predicting both bladder and prostate cancer progression (i.e., recurrence and metastasis).
The current research focus of the laboratory includes:
- Understanding the regulation of HYAL1 expression in normal and tumor tissues (promoter studies).
- Evaluation of HA and HAase inhibitors as anti-tumor agents in prostate and bladder carcinomas (in vitro and xenograft studies).
- Evaluation of the prognostic potential of HA-HAase family of markers in multi-center studies (tissue microarray studies).
Key References (2005-):
1. Lokeshwar, V.B.*, Cerwinka, W.H., Lokeshwar, B.L. (2005) HYAL1 hyaluronidase: a molecular determinant of bladder tumor growth and invasion. Cancer Res., 65: 2243 – 2250.
2. Lokeshwar, V.B.*, Cerwinka, W.H., Tadahiro Isoyama, Lokeshwar, B.L. (2005) HYAL1 hyaluronidase in prostate cancer: A tumor promoter and suppressor Cancer Res., 65: 7782 – 7789.
3. Lokeshwar, V.B.* Habuchi, T., Grossman, H.B., Murphy, W.M., Hatumann, S.H., Hemstreet III, G.P., Bono, A.V., Getzenberg, R.H., Goebell, P., Schmitz-Drager, B.J., Schalken, J.A., Fradet, Y., Marberger, M., Messing, E., and Droller, M.J. (2005) Bladder tumor markers beyond cytology: International Consensus Panel on Bladder Tumor Markers. Urology, 66, (Issue 6, Supplement 1): 35 – 63.
4. Isoyama, T., Thwaites, D., Selzer, M.G., Carey, R.I., Schroeder, G.L., Lokeshwar, V.B.* (2006) Differential selectivity of hyaluronidase inhibitors towards acidic and basic hyaluronidases Glycobiol., 16: 11-21
5. Lokeshwar VB*, Estrella V, Lopez L, Kramer M, Gomez P, Soloway MS, Lokeshwar BL (2006) HYAL1-v1, an alternatively spliced variant of HYAL1 hyaluronidase: a negative regulator of bladder cancer. Cancer Res., 66:11219-11227.
6. Golshani, R., Hautmann, S., Estrella, V., Cohen, B.L., Manoharan, M., Jorda, M., Soloway, M.S., Lokeshwar, V.B.* (2007) HAS1 expression in bladder cancer and its correlation to urinary HA test Int J Cancer 120:1712-172020.
7. Araki, S., Omori, Y., Lyn, D., Singh, R., Meinbach, D., Sandman, Y., Lokeshwar, V.B., and Lokeshwar, B.L. (2007) IL-8 is a molecular determinant of androgen independence and progression in prostate cancer. Cancer Res. 67: 6854- 6862.
* Funding: 1NCI/NIH R01, Bladder cancer (PI); 2. NCI/NIH R01, Prostate Cancer (PI); 3. NIH/NCCAM R01, Prostate Cancer (Co-PI); 4. Sylvester; 5. Department of Urology.
