Education:
PhD, University of Calgary, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Postdoctoral training, University of Florida (UFlorida)
Honors and Awards:
Canadian Institutes for Health Research Studentship (1997-2002)
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Incentive Award (2001-2002)
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Studentship Award (2002-2003)
American Society for Cell Biology Postdoctoral Travel Award (2005)
Bankhead-Coley Florida Cancer Program New Investigator Research Grant (2008-2011)
K99/R00 NIH Pathway to Independence Award (2008-2014)
Professional Experience:
2007 – 2010: Research Assistant Professor, UFlorida, Dept. of Oral Biology
2010 – 2018: Assistant Professor, MUSC, Dept. of Oral Health Sciences
2012 – Present: Adjunct Faculty, Clemson University, Dept. of Bioengineering
2018 – Present: Associate Professor, MUSC, Dept. of Biomedical & Community Health Sciences, Division of Basic Science Research; Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (secondary appointment)
Research Interests:
Dr. Jakymiw’s research is focused on the study and development of cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-mediated targeted delivery strategies for therapeutic nucleic acid-based drugs in the treatment of varied diseases, including cancer and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as in the prevention of early ischemic injury in organ transplantations. Moreover, his laboratory is also involved in the study of cell entry mechanisms that CPPs employ to deliver various nucleic acid-based cargos into cells, which could prove instrumental in informing new CPP designs toward the advancement of more efficacious peptide carriers for human therapies.
Relevant Publications:
Wilson K, Holjencin C, Lee H, Annamalai B, Ishii M, Gilbert JL, Jakymiw A, Rohrer B. Development of a cell-penetrating peptide-based nanocomplex for long-term delivery of intact mitochondrial DNA into epithelial cells. Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids 36(1):102449, 2025.
Holjencin C, Jakymiw A. MicroRNAs and their big therapeutic impacts: Delivery strategies for cancer intervention. Cells 11:2332, 2022. PMID: 35954176; PMCID: PMC9367537
Holjencin CE, Feinberg CR, Hedrick T, Halsey G, Williams RD, Patel PV, Biles E, Cummings JC, Wagner C, Vyavahare N, Jakymiw A. Advancing peptide siRNA-carrier designs through L/D-amino acid stereochemical modifications to enhance gene silencing. Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids 24:462-476, 2021. PMID:33868789, PMCID: PMC8040110
Cummings JC, Zhang H, and Jakymiw A. Peptide carriers to the rescue: overcoming the barriers to siRNA delivery for cancer treatment. Translational Research 214:92-104, 2019. PMID: 31404520, PMCID: PMC6848774
Alexander-Bryant AA, Zhang H, Attaway CC, Pugh W, Eggart L, Sansevere RM, Andino LM, Dinh L, Cantini LP, and Jakymiw A. Dual peptide-mediated targeted delivery of bioactive siRNAs to oral cancer cells in vivo. Oral Oncology 72:123-131, 2017. PMID: 28797448, PMCID: PMC5580030
Alexander-Bryant AA, Dumitriu A, Attaway CC, Yu H, Jakymiw A. Fusogenic-oligoarginine peptide-mediated silencing of the CIP2A oncogene suppresses oral cancer tumor growth in vivo. Journal of Controlled Release 218:72-81, 2015. PMID: 26386438, PMCID: PMC4646222
Cantini L, Attaway CC, Butler B, Andino LM, Sokolosky ML, Jakymiw A. Fusogenic-oligoarginine peptide-mediated delivery of siRNAs targeting the CIP2A oncogene into oral cancer cells. PLoS ONE 8(9):e73348, 2013. PMID: 24019920, PMCID: PMC3760901
News:
Progress Notes | Health & Research at MUSC: Restoring vision by recharging cells' batteries | MUSC Health | Charleston SC
Hollings Cancer Center: https://hollingscancercenter.musc.edu/news/archive/2021/05/24/hollings-researchers-improve-peptide-drug-carriers-to-enhance-gene-silencing
EurekAlert!: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-05/muos-cct052421.php
Fierce Biotech: https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/outsmarting-cancer-rna-genome-tuning-drugs-and-other-gene-altering-therapies