Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology
Department of Biology
Office - Science Center 108 A
Research Lab - Science Center 206
Phone: 610-660-1931
Fax: 610-660-1832
Email: dzuzga@sju.edu
Education
B.A. (1998) in Biopsychology, Vassar College
Ph.D. (2008) in Genetics, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University
Professional Experience
Research Assistant (1998-2000) McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA
Research Assistant (2000-2002) CNS Gene Therapy Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Visiting Assistant Professor (2008-present) Department of Biology, Saint Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, PA
Courses Taught
Biology I: Cells
Biology II: Genetics
Advanced Cell Biology
Research
Cancer is the second leading cause of disease-related mortality with over 500,000 deaths/year in the U.S. alone. Mortality from cancer largely reflects metastasis, the process through which cancer cells migrate from the primary tumor to distant sites throughout the body. With respect to colon cancer, patients who are diagnosed early, with no metastasis, are almost uniformly cured by surgical removal of the primary tumor. For these patients the five-year survival rate is 90%. However, only 39% of all patients with colon cancer are diagnosed at this early stage. In contrast, the majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced disease, where local or distant metastasis has already occurred, and have much lower survival rates, 60% and 10% respectively. These data highlight the critical need for effective therapeutics aimed at the metastatic process.
My research focuses on the invasive migration of cancer cells, with specific interest in the cytoskeletal regulation of metastasis. Individual projects will interrogate key regulators of specific membrane structures, such as invadopodia, which serve as organizing hubs in metastatic cells, coordinating migratory and proteolytic processes that underlie metastasis.
