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, Oral Biology
2010 – 2018: Assistant Professor, MUSC, Oral Health Sciences (primary appointment)
2012 – Present: Adjunct Faculty, Clemson University, Bioengineering
2017 – 2018: Assistant Professor, MUSC, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (secondary appointment)
2018 – Present: Associate Professor, MUSC, Oral Health Sciences and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Research Interests:
Dr. Jakymiw’s research focuses on the study of RNAi-based therapies for oral cancer. In particular, his lab is currently involved in developing peptide carrier-mediated targeted delivery strategies of therapeutic siRNA molecules for the treatment of oral cancer. Moreover, his laboratory is also pursuing the study of RNA silencing biology and how dysregulation of its molecular components can contribute to disease, in particular oral cancer. The goal of his research is to gain further insights into the molecular causes of oral cancer, identify novel biomarkers for this disease, and develop novel therapeutic strategies for treating oral cancer.
Recent Publications:
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, Andino LM, Attaway CC, Butler B, Dumitriu A, Blackshaw A, Jakymiw A. Identification and characterization of Dicer1e, a Dicer1 protein variant, in oral cancer cells. Molecular Cancer 13:190, 2014. PMID: 25115815, PMCID: PMC4141963
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