• American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant (2018)
• NIH Pathway to Independence Award (K99), NCI (2017)
• Thomas Jefferson University JCBS Postdoctoral Travel Fellowship (2015)
• National Cancer Center Postdoctoral Fellowship (2013)

• Society of Melanoma Researchers
• American Association of Cancer Researchers

• Postdoctoral fellow, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University

Dr. Hartsough's work is focused on understanding the mechanisms contributing to metastatic progression and susceptibility of cancers to targeted inhibitors. In particular, the lab utilizes melanoma as a model system to investigate the following:

• We are interested in exploring the tumor suppressive functions of CADM1 in regulating melanoma invasion, anchorage-independent cell death, and costimulation of immune-mediated cytotoxic responses. These studies may highlight CADM1 as a diagnostic indicator for prognosis and could open new therapeutic avenues to combat melanoma metastasis.
• Mutations in the RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK pathway are drivers in many forms of human malignancies. In particular, the serine/threonine kinase BRAF is mutated in ~8% of all cancers. Targeted inhibitors have been designed to block aberrant BRAF; however due to differences in cellular signaling, efficacy of these drugs are limited to a subset of mutant BRAF tumors. We are interested in understanding the mechanisms governing the varied responses to inhibitor treatment.

“Cell Adhesion Molecules in Plasticity and Metastasis”
Smart JA, Oleksak JE, Hartsough EJ
Mol. Can. Res. 2020 Oct 1

“Mutant BRAF and MEK Inhibitors Regulate the Tumor Immune Microenvironment via Pyroptosis”
Erkes DA, Cai W, Sanchez IM, Purwin TJ, Rogers C, Field CO, Berger AC, Hartsough EJ, Rodeck U, Alnemri ES, Aplin AE
Cancer Discov. 2020 Jan 24; online ahead of print

“The next generation BET inhibitor PLX51107 delays melanoma growth by altering the tumor immune microenvironment”
Erkes DA, Capparelli C, Heilman SA, Chervoneva I, Berger AC, Rosenbaum SR, Hartsough EJ, Villanueva J, Aplin AE
Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2019 Sep;32(5):687-696

"CADM1 is a TWIST1-regulated suppressor of melanoma invasion and survival"
Hartsough EJ, Weiss MB, Heilman SA, Purwin TJ, Kugel CH 3rd, Rosenbaum SR, Erkes DA, Tiago M, HooKim K, Chervoneva I, Aplin AE
Cell. Death Dis.;10(4):281, Mar 25, 2019

"BRAF Splice Variant Resistance to RAF Inhibitor Requires Enhanced MEK Association"
Vido MJ, Le K, Hartsough EJ, Aplin AE
Cell Rep.; 25(6):1501-1510, Nov 6, 2018

"Mutant BRAF selective inhibitor with paradox breaking properties in human melanomas ex vivo and in vivo"
Hartsough EJ, Kugel CH 3rd, Berger AC, Basile KJ, Purwin T, Goldberg A, Davies MA, Schiewer MJ, Bollag G, Aplin AE
Mol. Cancer Ther.;12(1):84-95, Jan 2018

"αC IN, αC OUT-that’s what it’s all about"
Hartsough EJ, Vido MJ
Pigment Cell Melanoma Res.;30(2):177-178, Mar 2017

"Of mice and melanoma: PDX system for modeling personalized medicine"
Hartsough EJ, Aplin AE
Clin Cancer Res.;22(7):1550-2, Apr 1, 2016

"RNF121 inhibits angiogenic growth factor signaling by restricting cell surface expression of VEGFR-2"
Maghsoudlou A, Meyer RD, Arafa E, Rezazadeh K, Bondzie PA, Pudney J, Hartsough E, Chitalia V, Rahimi N
Traffic;17(3):289-300, Mar 2016

"TMIGD1 is a novel adhesion molecule that protects epithelial cells from oxidative cell injury"
Arafa E, Bondzie PA, Rezazadeh K, Meyer RD, Hartsough E, Henderson JM, Schwartz JH, Chitalia V, Rahimi N
Am J Pathol.;185(10):2757-67, Oct 2015

"Hypoxia-induced expression of phosducin-like 3 regulates expression of VEGFR-2 and promotes angiogenesis"
Srinivasan S, Chitalia V, Meyer RD, Hartsough E, Mehta M, Harrold I, Anderson N, Feng H, Smith LE, Jiang Y, Costello CE, Rahimi N
Angiogenesis;18(4):449- 62, Oct 2015

"Function-blocking ERBB3 antibody inhibits the adaptive response to RAF inhibitor"
Kugel CH 3rd, Hartsough EJ, Davies MA, Setiady YY, Aplin AE
Cancer Res.;74(15):4122-32, Aug 1, 2014

"Beneficial effects of RAF inhibitor in mutant BRAF splice variant-expressing melanoma"
Hartsough EJ, Basile KJ, Aplin AE
Mol Cancer Res.;12(5):795-802, May 2014

"Inhibition of mutant BRAF splice variant signaling by next-generation, selective RAF inhibitors"
Basile KJ, Le K, Hartsough EJ, Aplin AE
Pigment Cell Melanoma Res.;27(3):479-84, May 2014

"Resistance to RAF inhibitors revisited"
Hartsough E, Shao Y, Aplin AE
J Invest Dermatol.;134(2):319-25, Feb 2014

"Lysine methylation promotes VEGFR-2 activation and angiogenesis"
Hartsough EJ, Meyer RD, Chitalia V, Jiang Y, Marquez VE, Zhdanova IV, Weinberg J, Costello CE, Rahimi N
Sci Signal.;6(304):ra104, Dec 3, 2013

"In vivo MAPK reporting reveals the heterogeneity in tumoral selection of resistance to RAF inhibitors"
Basile KJ, Abel EV, Dadpey N, Hartsough EJ, Fortina P, Aplin AE
Cancer Res.;73(23):7101-10, Dec 1, 2013

"A STATement on vemurafenib-resistant melanoma"
Hartsough EJ, Aplin AE
J Invest Dermatol.;133(8):1928-9, Aug 2013

"Identification of IGPR-1 as a novel adhesion molecule involved in angiogenesis"
Rahimi N, Rezazadeh K, Mahoney JE, Hartsough E, Meyer RD
Mol Biol Cell.;23(9):1646-56, May 2012

By Invitation

"CADM1 is a TWIST1 Regulated Suppressor of Melanoma Metastasis"
Thomas Jefferson University Joint Research Seminar Series: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (invited seminar presentation), June 2017

"Mutant BRAF Selective Inhibitor Suppresses ERK1/2 Signaling with Paradox Breaking Properties in Human Melanomas in vivo and ex vivo"
Thomas Jefferson University Cancer Cell Biology & Signaling Programmatic Faculty Retreat: , Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (invited seminar presentation), January 2017

"Women in Science"
Society of Melanoma Research International Congress 2015: San Francisco, California (invited panelist speaker), November 2015

"Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Activation: Beyond Autophosphorylation"
BUSM Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Seminar Series: Boston, Massachusetts (invited seminar presentation), January 2012

By Competition

"CADM1 is a TWIST1-Regulated Suppressor of Melanoma Invasion and survival"
Hartsough EJ, Weiss MB, Heilman SA, Purwin TJ, Kugel CH III, Rosenbaum SR, Erkes DA, Tiago M, HooKim K, Chervoneva I, Aplin AE
American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018, Chicago, Illinois (poster), April 2018

"CADM1 is Negatively Regulated by TWIST1 and Promotes Melanoma Anoikis"
Hartsough EJ, Weiss MB, Heilman S, Rosenbaum SR, Chervoneva I, Aplin AE
Society of Melanoma Research International Congress 2016, Boston, Massachusetts (poster), November 2016

"14-3-3 Binding Sites in Full-length and Splice Variant Forms of BRAF V600E Modulate the Response to RAF Inhibitors"
Vido MJ, Le K, Rock J, Hartsough EJ, Dadpey N, and Aplin, AE
Society of Melanoma Research International Congress 2015, San Francisco, California (poster), November 2015

"Mutant BRAF Selective Inhibitor Inhibits ERK1/2 Signaling with Paradox Breaking Properties in Human Melanomas in vivo and ex vivo"
Hartsough EJ, Kugel CH III, Berger AC, Purwin T, Goldberg A, Davies M, Schiewer MJ, Bollag GE, Aplin AE
Society of Melanoma Research International Congress 2015, San Francisco, California (poster), November 2015

"CADM1 is a TWIST1 Regulated Suppressor of Melanoma Invasion"
Hartsough EJ, Weiss MB, Kugel CH III, Rosenbaum SR, Aplin AE
Advances in Melanoma: From Biology to Therapy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (poster), September 2014
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center Consortium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (poster), October 2014
American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (poster), May 2015
Society of Melanoma Research International Congress, San Francisco, California (poster), November 2015

"Role of CADM1 in Melanoma"
Hartsough EJ, Weiss MB, Rosenbaum SR, Aplin AE
Thomas Jefferson University 9th Annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium (poster), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 2014

"Molecular Regulation of VEGFR-2 Function through Protein Methylation",
Hartsough EJ, Meyer RD, Marquez VE, Chitalia V, Zhdanova IV, Rahimi N
Henry I. Russek Student Achievement Day (poster), May 2012