Steffan Nawrocki, PhD

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Co-Program Leader, Clinical and Translational Oncology Program
Associate Professor, Medicine
Biography
Steffan Nawrocki, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and the Research Director for Translational Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center. He received his doctoral degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and conducted his postdoctoral fellowship in experimental cancer therapeutics at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The major focus of Dr. Nawrocki’s laboratory is the evaluation of the molecular mechanisms of action of novel experimental cancer therapeutics with an emphasis on targeting protein degradation. He has received several prestigious honors including awards from the International Myeloma Foundation, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the Voelcker Foundation.
Cancer Focus
My laboratory focuses on the investigation of the mechanisms of action of experimental anticancer agents and approaches to enhance cancer cell death and overcome drug resistance. I have extensive expertise studying novel therapeutic agents that target protein degradation pathways including proteasome inhibitors, autophagy inhibitors, and therapies that induce endoplasmic reticular stress. My research has provided the groundwork for multiple clinical studies exploring strategies that target protein turnover for cancer therapy. My current research interests include investigation of autophagy and its regulation of drug resistance and metastatic pathogenesis. A second major focus of my laboratory is investigation of the mechanisms of action of oncolytic virus therapy.
Selected Publications
Calton, C. M., K. R. Kelly, F. Anwer, J. S. Carew, and S. T. Nawrocki, "Oncolytic Viruses for Multiple Myeloma Therapy.", Cancers (Basel), vol. 10, issue 6, 2018 Jun 14. PMCID: PMC6025383 PMID: 29903988
Kelly, K. R., C. M. Espitia, W. Zhao, K. Wu, V. Visconte, F. Anwer, C. M. Calton, J. S. Carew, and S. T. Nawrocki, "Oncolytic reovirus sensitizes multiple myeloma cells to anti-PD-L1 therapy.", Leukemia, vol. 32, issue 1, pp. 230-233, 2018 01. PMCID: PMC5844271 PMID: 28832023
Carew, J. S., C. M. Espitia, W. Zhao, M. M. Mita, A. C. Mita, and S. T. Nawrocki, "Oncolytic reovirus inhibits angiogenesis through induction of CXCL10/IP-10 and abrogation of HIF activity in soft tissue sarcomas.", Oncotarget, vol. 8, issue 49, pp. 86769-86783, 2017 Oct 17. PMCID: PMC5689724 PMID: 29156834
Carew, J. S., C. M. Espitia, W. Zhao, Y. Han, V. Visconte, J. Phillips, and S. T. Nawrocki, "Disruption of Autophagic Degradation with ROC-325 Antagonizes Renal Cell Carcinoma Pathogenesis.", Clin Cancer Res, vol. 23, issue 11, pp. 2869-2879, 2017 Jun 01. PMCID: PMC5593077 PMID: 27881580
Carew, J. S., C. M. Espitia, W. Zhao, M. M. Mita, A. C. Mita, and S. T. Nawrocki, "Targeting Survivin Inhibits Renal Cell Carcinoma Progression and Enhances the Activity of Temsirolimus.", Mol Cancer Ther, vol. 14, issue 6, pp. 1404-13, 2015 Jun. PMID: 25808836