Shoshanna Zucker, PhD

Originally from the New York City area, I received my PhD in Molecular Pharmacology under the mentorship of Dr. Susan Band Horwitz, well known for the discovery of Taxol.  I did my postdoctoral studies at the University at Buffalo (UB) in the area of gap junctions and cancer.  I then became a Research Assistant Professor at UB, where I developed a collaboration with the Department of Electrical Engineering to study the ability of nonthermal plasma to induce selective apoptotic cell death in melanoma. To further study the effects of free radicals and oxidative stress in melanoma, I studied the role of transcription factors as inducers of oxidative stress at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.  It is extremely rewarding to share the enthusiasm in the team of students that I mentor.  To this end, I teach two semesters of first-year PharmD students in Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology.  I am passionate about teaching and love experiencing the learning process through my students as we build on the knowledge of organ systems throughout the year.

• PhD, Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1999
• M.S. Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1994
• B.S. Biology, Iona University, 1989

• Keynote Speaker for the Willie C. Hutchinson Foundation Annual Buffalo Science Fair. (2022)
• University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Technology (UB CAT) Grant in the amount of $10,500 for the project entitled, “Preclinical safety and efficacy studies of medical device to support IND submission”. (2021-2022)
• D’Youville Faculty Research Committee Award for “Mechanisms inducing oxidative stress from a novel combination therapy in pancreatic cancer.” (2020)
• D’Youville College Research Day Award for best Pharmacy Poster (2017-2019)
• Patent US20160001052 A1 Issued 3/7/17 Combination Therapy for Treating Cancer and Method for Treating Cancer Using a Combination Therapy.   Inventor - Shoshanna Zucker (2017)

I have had a long-standing interest in cancer research. I have developed a novel combination therapy to treat various tumor types focusing on the nonthermal plasma and drugs that activate in low oxygen conditions common to many tumor microenvironments.  This treatment is designed to have high selectivity for cancer cells with low potential for side effects.  The goal of my research is to make this therapeutic available for clinical trials to ultimately make an impact on patient care.

• Yehl M, Kucharski D, Eubank M, Gulledge B, Rayan G, Uddin MG, Remmers G, Kandel ES, DuFaux DP, Hutcherson TC, Sexton S, Zucker SN. The Development of Nonthermal Plasma and Tirapazamine as a Novel Combination Therapy to Treat Melanoma In Situ. Cells. 2023 Aug 21;12(16):2113.
• Bagati A*, Koch Z*, Hutcherson TC*, Pechette JF, Dianat H, Higley C, Chiu L, Song Y, Shah JS, Chazen E, Nicolais A, Casey P, Thompson K, Nikiforov MA, Zirnheld J, Zucker SN. (2020) Novel combination therapy for melanoma induces ROS-mediated apoptosis via a gap junction positive feedback mechanism. Oncotarget. 11(37); 3443-3458. 
• Thompson, K., Burke, K., Zirnheld, J. Zucker, S.N., (2017) Comparison of circuits for the generation of nonthermal plasma for the treatment for melanoma. IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation. 24 (4); 2241-2247.
• Polusani, S.R., Kalmykov, E.A., Chandrasekhar, A., Zucker, S.N.*, Nicholson, B.J.* (2016) Mechanism of Cx26 induced increased migration of HeLa cells. J Cell Science. 129(23); 4399-4410. *These authors share senior authorship of the paper.
• Thompson, K., Burke, K., Zirnheld, J., Zucker, S.N. (2016) Auto-tuning oscillator for the generation of nonthermal plasma as a therapeutic treatment for melanoma IEEE Power Modulator and High Voltage Conference (IPMHVC):  413-416.
• Bagati, A., Koch, Z., Bofinger, D., Goli, H., Weiss, L.S., Dau, R., Thomas, M., and Zucker, S.N. (2015) A modified in vitro invasion assay to determine the potential role of hormones, cytokines and/or growth factors in mediating cancer cell invasion. J Vis Exp. 2015 Apr 24;(98) Zucker, S.N., Fink, E.E., Bagati, A., Mannava, S., Bianchi-Smiraglia, A., Bogner, P., Foley, C., Grimm, M.J., Moparthy, K., Ionov, Y., Hu, Q., Liu, S., Zhang, Y., Sexton, S., Kaminski, N., Segal, B.H., and Nikiforov, M.A. (2014)  NRF2 propagates oxidative stress via induction of KLF9.  Mol. Cell 53(6); 916-928
• Chandrasekhar, A. Kalmykov, E.A., Polusani, S.R., Mathis, S.A., Zucker, S.N.* and Nicholson, B.J.* (2013) Intercellular Redistribution of cAMP Underlies Selective Suppression of HeLa Cell Growth by Connexin26. PLoS ONE.  8(12). * These authors share senior authorship of the paper.
• Wawrzyniak JA1, Bianchi-Smiraglia A, Bshara W, Mannava S, Ackroyd J, Bagati A, Omilian AR, Im M, Fedtsova N, Miecznikowski JC, Moparthy KC, Zucker SN, Zhu Q, Kozlova NI, Berman AE, Hoek KS, Gudkov AV, Shewach DS, Morrison CD, Nikiforov MA. (2013) A purine nucleotide biosynthesis enzyme guanosine monophosphate reductase is a suppressor of melanoma invasion. Cell Rep. 5(2):493-507
• Zucker, S.N., Bancroft, T.A., Place, D.E., Des Soye, B., Bagati, A., Berezney, R. (2013) A dominant negative Cx43 mutant differentially affects tumorigenic and invasive properties in human metastatic melanoma cells. J Cell Physiol. 228(4):853-9.