ANDREA L. CASILLAS, PH.D.
Dr. Casillas was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, attending public schools and becoming increasingly interested in how the body functions.
After completing high school, she enrolled at The University of Arizona where she received her B.S. in Biology in 2015, graduating with honors and cum laude. She wrote her senior honors thesis, advised by Dr. Cress, on the link between the DNA damage response and the invasive prostate cancer phenotype.
With a strong interest in cancer signaling, she matriculated into The University of Arizona Cancer Biology Graduate Interdisciplinary Program and the Warfel Lab in 2016. Throughout her tenure as a doctoral student, she was independently funded from a mix of NIH/NCI training grants and an institutional graduate fellowship. Her doctoral research focus was elucidating mechanisms of drug resistance, specifically the molecular mechanisms responsible for PIM-mediated resistance to anti-angiogenic agents.
Upon completion of her doctoral work, she obtained a postdoctoral research position studying ovarian cancer metastasis at the University of Wisconsin Madison in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Kreeger Lab in 2020.
After her postdoc, Dr. Casillas decided to leave academic research and pursue non-profit research administration. She obtained a Research Grants Manager (RGM) position at Susan G. Komen where she manages a portfolio of early career, leadership and health disparities training grants from peer review through post award. She also has helped launch Komen's first career transition award and Komen's first diversity supplement grant programs. As an RGM, she also has the opportunity to plan networking events for the grantees, represent Komen at conferences and generally advocate for eliminating health disparities and diversifying the biomedical workforce, areas she is particularly passionate about. She also firmly believes in the Komen Mission and commitment to patients and is grateful for the many resources they provide for the breast cancer community, both in English and Spanish. For more resources including how to apply for patient assistance see komen.org. This year she is walking in a 3-Day in Denver with the Mountains and Molehills Team. She welcomes and is grateful for any donations which directly support the Komen Mission, her donation page is here or via mail with this form.
When she is not studying cancer, Dr. Casillas enjoys spending time with her family and friends, pursuing creative hobbies and cooking (& trying) delicious food. She currently resides in Denver, CO with her husband, Dr. Jason Giles, and their rescue dog, Pablo Escobark.
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Published Works
- NCBI
1. SS Chauhan, AL Casillas, AN Clements, H Liou, CT Prevost, DF Kashatus, JM Snider, AJ Snider, NA Warfel. PIM1 drives lipid droplet accumulation to promote proliferation and survival in prostate cancer. Oncogene, 2023. In press.
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2. Torres-Ayuso P, Katerji M, Mehlich D, Lookingbill SA, Sabbasani VR, Liou H, Casillas AL, Chauhan SS, Serwa R, Rubin MR, Marusiak AA, Swenson RE, Warfel NA, Brognard J. PIM1 targeted degradation prevents the emergence of chemoresistance in prostate cancer. Cell Chemical Biology, 2023. In press.
3. CC Jensen, AN Clements, H Liou, L Ball, J Bethard, PR Langlais, RK Toth, SS Chauhan, AL Casillas, S Daulat, AS Kraft, AE Cress, CK Miranti, G Mouneimne, GC Rogers, NA Warfel. PIM1 Phosphorylates ABI2 to Enhance Actin Dynamics and Promote Tumor Invasion. Journal of Cell Biology, 222 (6), 2023. READ.
4. A Abbaspour, AL Casillas, SM McGregor, PK Kreeger. Bioengineering Approaches to Improve Gynecological Cancer Outcomes. Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, Volume 22, 100384, 2022. READ.
5. AL Casillas, SS Chauhan, RK Toth, AG Sainz, AN Clements, CC Jensen, PR Langlais, CK Miranti, AE Cress, NA Warfel. Direct phosphorylation and stabilization of HIF-1a by PIM1 kinase drives angiogenesis in solid tumors. Oncogene, 40(32):5142-5152, 2021. READ.
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6. AL Casillas. Defining the Role of PIM1 in Tumor Angiogenesis. Doctoral dissertation. The University of Arizona Repository, 2020. READ.
7. SS Chauhan, RK Toth, CC Jensen, AL Casillas, DS Kashatus, NA Warfel. PIM Kinases Alter Mitochondrial Dynamics and Chemosensitivity in Lung Cancer. Oncogene, 39 (12), 2597-2611, 2020. READ.
8. AL Casillas, RK Toth, AG Sainz, N Singh, AA Desai, AS Kraft, NA Warfel. Hypoxia-inducible PIM kinase expression promotes resistance to anti-angiogenic agents. Clinical Cancer Research, 24(1) 169-180, 2018. READ.
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9. AL Casillas, JG Gard, AE Cress. DNA Damage Response to Ionizing Radiation Defective in the Invasive Cancer Phenotype. Honors thesis. The University of Arizona Repository, 2015. READ.
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In the media
1. These organizations support breast cancer survivors in Tucson. Online article. 2023. READ.
2. Mountains & Molehills Team Raises $16,386 For Cancer Research And Treatment, Places 25th Out Of 200+ Fundraisers. Online article. 2022. READ.
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3. Mountains And Molehills Team And 200 Others Pulled Off Route In Dallas Due To Thunderstorms, Tornado Warnings. Online article. 2022. READ.
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4. ‘The 60-Mile Walk Is Hard, But Not As Hard As Breast Cancer’ – A Chance For Us To Step Up. Online article. 2022. READ.
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5. UA researchers focus on starving tumors, stunting cancer growth. Newspaper article. 2021. READ.
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6. Some Single, Childfree Women Don't Get The Same Flexibility And Pay As Parents. Online article. 2019. READ.
