I trained both as a scientist and as a physician and, throughout my career, I have focused on the treatment and biology of ovarian cancer (OvCa). My Ph.D. thesis was on the role of proteases in ovarian cancer and my clinical fellowship involved a special emphasis on the treatment of patients with this disease. As a surgeon and clinician, I am familiar with the presentation of ovarian cancer in patients, and experience the incredible obstacles we face in its treatment. In the laboratory, I have built the research infrastructure necessary for effective ovarian cancer research.
The Lengyel lab has elucidated, at least in part, the first critical steps of ovarian cancer metastasis by paying close attention to the host microenvironment. We have collected the 25 most commonly used ovarian cancer cell lines from all over the world, including those which are chemotherapy resistant. We have established several mouse models for OvCa, and using a genetic mouse model (K-rasG12D/+/Pten-/- -- established by Dr. Tyler Jacks), a syngeneic orthotopic mouse model using mouse OvCa cells (ID8 -- established by K. Roby), and several xenograft ip models using primary and cultured human OvCa cells. I have also established a prospective OvCa tissue bank and, together with 2 gynecologic pathologists, we have assembled 13 tissue arrays including normal tissue, borderline tumor and primary tumor, & corresponding metastasis. As a surgeon, the main focus of my practice is patients with OvCa; therefore, I will be able to enroll a substantial number of patients on the proposed clinical trial and have the infrastructure in place to collect the tissue required for the translational studies.
My clinical experience treating ovarian cancer, together with my laboratory, which focuses on OvCa biology, gives me a unique opportunity and obligation to find new treatments that can benefit patients with ovarian cancer.
University of Munich
Munich
M.D. - M.D.
1992
Deep Visual Proteomics defines single-cell identity and heterogeneity.
Mund A, Coscia F, Kriston A, Hollandi R, Kovács F, Brunner AD, Migh E, Schweizer L, Santos A, Bzorek M, Naimy S, Rahbek-Gjerdrum LM, Dyring-Andersen B, Bulkescher J, Lukas C, Eckert MA, Lengyel E, Gnann C, Lundberg E, Horvath P, Mann M. Deep Visual Proteomics defines single-cell identity and heterogeneity. Nat Biotechnol. 2022 08; 40(8):1231-1240.
PMID: 35590073
High glucocorticoid receptor expression in the sarcomatous versus carcinomatous elements of Mullerian carcinosarcomas.
Kurnit KC, Steiner M, Lastra RR, Weroha SJ, Cursio J, Lengyel E, Fleming GF, Conzen SD. High glucocorticoid receptor expression in the sarcomatous versus carcinomatous elements of Mullerian carcinosarcomas. Gynecol Oncol Rep. 2022 Jun; 41:100987.
PMID: 35519002
Resilience in the Face of Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Psychologic Morbidity and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Women With Ovarian Cancer.
Javellana M, Hlubocky FJ, Somasegar S, Sorkin M, Kurnit KC, Jani I, Stock E, Mills K, Lengyel E, Lee NK. Resilience in the Face of Pandemic: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Psychologic Morbidity and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Women With Ovarian Cancer. JCO Oncol Pract. 2022 06; 18(6):e948-e957.
PMID: 35201895
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Induces Genomic and Transcriptomic Changes in Ovarian Cancer.
Javellana M, Eckert MA, Heide J, Zawieracz K, Weigert M, Ashley S, Stock E, Chapel D, Huang L, Yamada SD, Ahmed AA, Lastra RR, Chen M, Lengyel E. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Induces Genomic and Transcriptomic Changes in Ovarian Cancer. Cancer Res. 2022 01 01; 82(1):169-176.
PMID: 34737212
Resilience: a mediator of the negative effects of pandemic-related stress on women's mental health in the USA.
Kumar S, Lee NK, Pinkerton E, Wroblewski KE, Lengyel E, Tobin M. Resilience: a mediator of the negative effects of pandemic-related stress on women's mental health in the USA. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2022 02; 25(1):137-146.
PMID: 34651237
Germline mutations in Black patients with ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal carcinomas.
Somasegar S, Weiss AS, Norquist BM, Khasnavis N, Radke M, Manhardt E, Pennil C, Pennington KP, Eckert MA, Chryplewicz A, Lengyel E, Swisher EM. Germline mutations in Black patients with ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal carcinomas. Gynecol Oncol. 2021 10; 163(1):130-133.
PMID: 34452747
The Natural Product ß-Escin Targets Cancer and Stromal Cells of the Tumor Microenvironment to Inhibit Ovarian Cancer Metastasis.
Kenny HA, Hart PC, Kordylewicz K, Lal M, Shen M, Kara B, Chen YJ, Grassl N, Alharbi Y, Pattnaik BR, Watters KM, Patankar MS, Ferrer M, Lengyel E. The Natural Product ß-Escin Targets Cancer and Stromal Cells of the Tumor Microenvironment to Inhibit Ovarian Cancer Metastasis. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 04; 13(16).
PMID: 34439084
The Effects of Chemotherapeutics on the Ovarian Cancer Microenvironment.
Eckert MA, Orozco C, Xiao J, Javellana M, Lengyel E. The Effects of Chemotherapeutics on the Ovarian Cancer Microenvironment. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Jun 23; 13(13).
PMID: 34201616
The Ratio of Toxic-to-Nontoxic miRNAs Predicts Platinum Sensitivity in Ovarian Cancer.
Patel M, Wang Y, Bartom ET, Dhir R, Nephew KP, Matei D, Murmann AE, Lengyel E, Peter ME. The Ratio of Toxic-to-Nontoxic miRNAs Predicts Platinum Sensitivity in Ovarian Cancer. Cancer Res. 2021 08 01; 81(15):3985-4000.
PMID: 34224372
Neutrophil elastase selectively kills cancer cells and attenuates tumorigenesis.
Cui C, Chakraborty K, Tang XA, Zhou G, Schoenfelt KQ, Becker KM, Hoffman A, Chang YF, Blank A, Reardon CA, Kenny HA, Vaisar T, Lengyel E, Greene G, Becker L. Neutrophil elastase selectively kills cancer cells and attenuates tumorigenesis. Cell. 2021 06 10; 184(12):3163-3177.e21.
PMID: 33964209