Education and Training
2016-2021 Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular and Cellular Oncogenesis Program, The Wistar Institute
2010-2015 Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville
2005-2009 B.A., Department of Biology, University of Louisville
Research
Dr. Barnoud’s laboratory uses genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) to study the p53 tumor suppressor, the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer. Their primary focus is on the impact of p53 variants on cancer risk and response to therapy, primarily centered on colorectal cancer. Mechanistically, their research aims to determine the influence of the African-centric P47S variant of p53 on colorectal cancer progression using genetically engineered cell lines, transgenic and colitis-induced mouse models of cancer. His lab is also actively investigating the role of another African-centric variant of p53, Y107H. The long-term goal of their research program is to leverage genetic variants of p53 in order to better understand the role of p53-mediated tumor suppression.
A second major research focus of his laboratory is to understand the role of heat shock proteins (HSPs) on the initiation and progression of cancer. They have studied specific inhibitors that target HSPs with the hopes of developing effective therapies for gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Specifically, his laboratory is focused on novel small-molecule inhibitors of HSP70 as a potential therapeutic target for GI cancers. They found that a significant fraction of HSP70 localizes to the mitochondria of tumor cells; as a result, they generated novel mitochondrial-targeting HSP70 inhibitors. They are leveraging these inhibitors in order to better understand the role of HSP70 in the initiation, progression, and metastasis of GI cancers. They are also interested in identifying novel combination strategies of HSP70i with standard of care (i.e., Gemcitabine, immune checkpoint inhibitors) in order to improve patient outcomes.