Ashwini Balakrishnan, PhD

The Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program at the University of Pittsburgh was an excellent choice for me as the program exposed and enabled us to chose a research mentor from a wide range of faculty engaged in basic and clinical research. I am currently working in the lab of Dr. J. Richard Chaillet, whose work mainly focuses on the role of epigenetics in disease. My PhD thesis work is focused on identifying the role of the tumor suppressor Inositol polyphosphate 4 phosphatase (Inpp4b) in generating ovarian teratomas (OT), which are tumors derived from non-ovulated oocytes. I am currently studying how an Inpp4b hypomorph causes deregulation of the PI3-kinase-Akt pathway in the ovary, which leads to the development of OTs.

Following her graduation from the University of Pittsburgh, Ashwini accepted a postdoc position with Dr. Stanley Riddell at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Abstracts

Balakrishnan A, Cirio MC, Chaillet JR. Role of the Tgkd Transgene in the Development of Ovarian Teratomas. Presented at the following:

• Environmental Epigenomics and Disease Susceptibility (Keystone conference), Asheville, NC (2010)
• Dynamics of Eukaryotic Transcription during Development (Keystone conference), Big Sky, MT (2009)
• Annual Meeting for the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Pittsburgh, PA (2009)
• Annual Biomedical Graduate Student Association Symposium, Pittsburgh, PA (2006-2011)
• The Department of Pathology Annual Retreat, Pittsburgh, PA (2006-2011)