Investigators and Program Directors
Erasmus Schneider
Research Scientist, Wadsworth Center, Molecular Diagnostics
Associate Professor, School of Public Health, Biomedical Sciences
Ph.D., University of Bern, Switzerland
Postdoctoral training, University of Auckland, Johns Hopkins
University Medical School, National Cancer Institute
E-mail: schneid@wadsworth.org.
Research Interests
My lab is interested in the role that membrane transporters play in multidrug resistance and carcinogen susceptibility in cancer cells. Using cell lines as model systems, we have identified several sublines that express different membrane transporters. More recently, we have obtained evidence that suggests that the lysosomes may play an important, though rather poorly defined role in anticancer drug resistance. Specifically, it is our hypothesis that lysosomal membrane transport proteins represent a rate-limiting step in the process of translocation of drugs from the cytoplasm into the lysosome, where they become sequestered and can be inactivated. Consequently, increased activity of these transporters would result in increased sequestration and/or inactivation, thereby reducing the available effective concentration and thus reduce their efficacy. We are currently investigating this effect in more detail, especially in regard to the antifolate methotrexate. We are in the process of identifying these lysosomal transporters and characterizing their function and role in drug resistance.
Contact Information
E-mail: schneid@wadsworth.org.