Nadejda Tsankova, MD, PhD Email Nadejda Tsankova
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- Positions
- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR | Pathology, Molecular and Cell Based Medicine
- ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR | Neuroscience
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- Specialty
- Anatomic Pathology and Clinical Pathology
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- Language
- English
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- Hospital Affiliation
- The Mount Sinai Hospital
Dr. Tsankova is an Associate Professor in Pathology, Neuroscience, and a member of the Friedman Brain Institute. Her laboratory studies the molecular mechanisms of gliomagenesis in endogenous human-based models. She is also a practicing neuropathologist. Dr. Tsankova received her Ph.D. from UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she trained with Dr. Eric Nestler. Under his guidance, she pioneered the studies of neuroepigenetics in the context of chronic stress/depression. Following the path of a Physician-Scientist, she completed her residency in Anatomic Pathology and fellowship in Neuropathology at Columbia University, where she became intrigued with studying the pathogenesis of human gliomas. She worked in the laboratory of Dr. Fiona Doetsch, where she developed novel techniques to isolate and characterize endogenous neural/glial progenitors from human brain, creating a transitional, human-based system to study epigenetic dysregulation during gliomagenesis. Previously an Assistant Professor at Columbia University and now one at Mount Sinai, Dr. Tsankova also has fruitful and ongoing collaborations with several investigators from the departments of Neurosurgery, Neuroscience, and Psychiatry at both institutions.
Visit Dr. Tsankova's lab page at: http://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/tsankovalab/
Certifications
Neuropathology
Anatomic Pathology
Research Topics
Anti-Tumor Therapy, Brain, Cancer Genetics, Cell Transformation, Chromatin, Stem Cells
Education
MD, University of Texas - Southwestern Medical School
PhD, University of Texas - Southwestern Medical Center
Residency, Pathology/Neurology
Columbia University
Fellowship, Neuropathology
Columbia University
Language
English
2013
Clinical Trials Office Research Pilot Award
Irving Institute
2008
Stembridge Award for Excellence in Pathology
University of Texas
2000
Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship
1998
Howard Hughes Fellowship for summer research
1998
Presidential Endowed Scholarship
The main research focus of the Tsankova laboratory is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms driving aberrant glial proliferation and migration in two debilitating CNS disorders – glioblastoma and epilepsy, focusing on the role of epigenetics and the transcriptional machinery in maintaining these dysfunctional glial phenotypes. Our primary model is human pathological tissue obtained from neurosurgical resections and perpetuated in the form of spheroids or mouse xenografts. Our lab has developed unique techniques for the acute isolation of viable glial/neural populations in such tissues, using novel markers for cell quiescence and activation. The lab is actively characterizing, both functionally and molecularly, novel populations of cancer stem cells and pathologically remodeled glial progenitors, in order to obtain deeper mechanistic insight into the role of glial proliferation and migration in CNS disease as well as to discover superior new targets for treatment of glioblastoma and drug-resistant epilepsy. We are using various techniques, such as ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, single cell and bulk RNA-seq, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, tissue culture, and orthotopic xenotransplantation, and collaborate with several labs who share our passion for neuro-epigenetics.
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Dr.Tsankova did not report having any of the following types of financial relationships with industry during 2021 and/or 2022: consulting, scientific advisory board, industry-sponsored lectures, service on Board of Directors, participation on industry-sponsored committees, equity ownership valued at greater than 5% of a publicly traded company or any value in a privately held company. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
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