Department of Pharmacology
and Chemical Biology
Renee D. Read
Dr. Renee Read completed her B.A. in Biology at Carleton College, with a research focus on developmental biology. She then trained in tyrosine kinase signal transduction as a research technician for two years following her undergraduate degree. Based on her education and research experiences, Renee decided to pursue a career at the intersection of developmental biology and cancer genetics, focusing on neural tumors. She completed her Ph.D. at Washington University at the School of Medicine in Developmental Biology with Dr. Ross Cagan, where she studied neural development and developed new models for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia (MEN2) neural cancers using Drosophila melanogaster. These MEN2 models were later used in pre-clinical drug testing of new therapies that have since been FDA-approved for MEN2, demonstrating the power of genetic model systems to advance cancer research.
Infiltrative Neoplastic Glial cells in the Drosophila Brain
Renee completed her postdoctoral training in developmental neurobiology and brain tumor biology at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies jointly with Dr. John Thomas, an expert Drosophila neurogeneticist, and at the University of California – San Diego with Drs. Frank Furnari and Webster Cavenee, both human brain tumor experts. During her postdoctoral studies, Renee developed new models for glioblastoma (GBM) in Drosophila, demonstrating that the same genetic pathways that cause GBMs in humans cause these tumors in fruit flies, and then translated her discoveries from fly models into mouse and human GBM model systems. Renee also trained with collaborating labs at the Salk, UCSD, and UCLA on mammalian experimental approaches, including patient-derived tumor stem cell cultures.
As faculty at Emory, Renee forged new collaborations with other neuro-oncology researchers and developed a multi-disciplinary research program to explore the genetics and cell biology of high-grade gliomas (HGGs). Her lab has recently expanded their research to include other glial tumors and neural tumor syndromes, including neurofibromatosis. Her lab currently focuses on translational research designed to develop new model systems for these tumor types, identify key drivers of tumorigenesis, and test new therapeutics for these tumor types. To facilitate her translational research program, Renee is now working on a Masters degree in Public Health.
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In her spare time, Renee enjoys live music, gardening, visiting friends, and spending cozy time with her family and pets, including Spotty the cat and Sandi the dog.
