Samantha Kendrick, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biochemistry and
Department of Pathology (secondary appointment)
UAMS College of Medicine
Research Interest Statement
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has the ninth highest incidence rate in Arkansas, with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) as the most commonly diagnosed subtype. Current treatment fails to achieve long-term disease-free survival in about 40 percent of DLBCL patients, either as upfront resistance to first-line therapy or following relapse after successful initial treatment. Our laboratory is dedicated to understanding the mechanisms behind aggressive forms of this malignancy and discovering new therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcome. In order to address this important area of cancer research, we integrate basic and translational science by utilizing ex vivo, cell line and tumor tissue-based models, paired with genomic and proteomic approaches. Ongoing projects include teasing out why certain oncogenes are susceptible to genomic instability, how DNA secondary structures may play a role in this process and can serve as novel targets for therapy, the impact of HIV infection on the development of lymphoma, and the differences between lymphoma that develops in children compared to adults.
Grants
UAMS Foundation Fund Board
Medical Research Endowment Award
Exploring DNA secondary structures as new therapeutic targets for aggressive lymphoma
1/1/2019 – 12/31/2019
$15,000*
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Foundation Envoys
Seeds of Science Award
Identifying DNA sequence motifs critical for mutations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
2/15/2018 – 2/14/2019
$10,000*
* cancer-related annual direct costs
Dr. Kendrick’s UAMS Collaborators
Brendan Frett, Ph.D. (Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Stephanie Byrum, Ph.D. (Director of Bioinformatics Core, Arkansas Children’s Research Institute)
Timothy Chambers, Ph.D. (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Ginell Post, M.D. (Pathology)
Dr. Kendrick’s External Collaborators
David Schatz, Ph.D. (Yale University; Howard Hughes Medical Institute)
Elizabeth Connick, M.D. (University of Arizona)
Amy Chadburn, M.D. (Cornell University)
Christian Stiedl, Ph.D. (University of British Columbia; British Columbia Cancer Agency)
Shankar Balasubramanian, Ph.D. (Cambridge University)
David Tannahill, Ph.D. (Cambridge University)
Opportunities for Collaboration
I welcome collaborations with basic and physician scientists, hematology oncologists, pathology fellows and residents, and bioinformaticians interested in joining forces to combat aggressive lymphoma and reduce the mortality of lymphoma patients.
You Might Not Know That
I am originally from the Great White North, and similar to my fellow Canadians, I enjoy maple syrup, hockey and bundling up next to the fire to read a good book.
Cancer-Related Publications
Kendrick S, Muranyi A, Gokhale V, Hurley LH, Rimsza LM. Simultaneous drug targeting of the promoter MYC G-quadruplex and BCL2 i-motif in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma slows tumor growth. J Med Chem 2017; 60:6587-97.
Kendrick S, Rimsza LM, Scott DW, et al. Aberrant cytoplasmic expression of MHCII confers worse progression free survival in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Virchows Arch 2017; 470:113-117.
Kendrick S, Tus K, Wright G, et al. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell-of-origin classification using the Lymph2Cx assay in the context of BCL2 and MYC expression status. Leuk Lymphoma 2016; 57:717-20.
Li L, Pongtornpipat P, Tiutan T, Kendrick SL, et al. Synergistic induction of apoptosis in high-risk DLBCL by BCL2 inhibition with ABT-199 combined with pharmacologic loss of MCL1. Leukemia 2015; 29:1702-12.