Cihangir Duy, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor, Cancer Epigenetics Program
Research Program
Key Awards
W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Award, 2021
V Scholar Award from the V Foundation, 2021
Hollis Brownstein Research Award from the Leukemia Research Foundation, 2021
Forbeck Scholar Award from the William Guy Forbeck Research Foundation, 2020
Postdoctoral Fellowship Award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in partnership with The Jake Wetchler Foundation, 2012
Summa cum laude Honors in Doctoral Thesis, 2011
Educational Background
- Postdoctoral, Epi-Genomics and Organoid Modelling, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, 2011 - 2019
- PhD, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Southern California - Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, California and HHU Düsseldorf, Germany, 2006 - 2011
- MS, Molecular Biophysics, Jülich Research Center and University of Düsseldorf, Germany, 2005
- BS, Biology, University of Düsseldorf, Germany, 2002
Research Interests
- Identifying drug survival mechanisms for novel therapeutic strategies to benefit patients
- Developing organoid models for precision medicine
- Determining pathways and mechanisms regulating chromatin modifiers and enhancer-promoter interactions in hematopoietic cells
- Systems biology approaches to determine epigenetic plasticity and epigenome regulation
Misc
Selected Publications
Duy C*, Li M, Teater M, Meydan C, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Lee TC, Chin C, Durmaz C, Kawabata KC, Dhimolea E, Mitsiades CS, Doehner H, D'Andrea RJ, Becker MW, Paietta E, Mason CE, Carroll M and Melnick AM*. Chemotherapy induces senescence-like resilient cells capable of initiating AML recurrence. Cancer Discov. 2021. PMID: 33500244 (*corresponding author)
Dhimolea E, de Matos Simoes R, Kansara D, Al’Khafaji A, Bouyssou J, Weng X, Sharma S, Raja J, Awate P, Shirasaki R, Tang H, Glassner BJ, Liu Z, Gao D, Bryan J, Bender S, Roth J, Scheffer M, Jeselsohn R, Gray NS, Georgakoudi I, Vazquez F, Tsherniak A, Chen Y, Welm A, Duy C, Melnick A, Bartholdy B, Brown M, Culhane AC, Mitsiades CS. An Embryonic Diapause-like Adaptation with Suppressed Myc Activity Enables Tumor Treatment Persistence. Cancer Cell. 2021. Jan 5; S1535-6108(20)30609-7. PMID: 33417832
Duy C, Béguelin W, and Melnick AM. Epigenetic Mechanisms in Leukemias and Lymphomas. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2020, Feb; 3. PMID: 32014848
Duy C*, Teater M, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Lee TC, Meydan C, Glass JC, Li M, Hellmuth JC, Mohammad HP, Smitheman KN, Shih AH, Wahab OA, Tallman MS, Guzman ML, Muench DE, Grimes HL, Roboz GJ, Kruger RG, Creasy CL, Paietta EM, Levine RL, Carroll M* and Melnick AM*. Rational targeting of cooperating layers of the epigenome yields enhanced therapeutic efficacy against AML. Cancer Discov. 2019, Jul; 9:872–89. PMID:31076479 (*corresponding author)
Li M, Chiang YL, Lyssiotis CA, Teater MR, Hong JY, Shen H, Wang L, Hu J, Jing H, Chen Z, Jain N, Duy C, Mistry SJ, Cerchietti L, Cross JR, Cantley LC, Green MR, Lin H, Melnick AM. Non-oncogene Addiction to SIRT3 Plays a Critical Role in Lymphomagenesis. Cancer Cell. 2019 Jun 10;35(6):916-931. PMID: 31185214
Hatzi K, Geng H, Doane AS, Meydan C, LaRiviere R, Cardenas M, Duy C, Shen H, Vidal MNC, Baslan T, Mohammad HP, Kruger RG, Shaknovich R, Haberman AM, Inghirami G, Lowe SW, Melnick AM. Histone demethylase LSD1 is required for germinal center formation and BCL6-driven lymphomagenesis. Nat Immunol. 2019 Jan;20(1):86-96. PMID: 30538335
Duy C*, Melnick A*. Untangling the Role of Polycomb Complexes in Chemotherapy Resistance. Cancer Discov. 2018 Nov;8(11):1348-1351. PMID: 30385522 (*corresponding author)
Maes T, Mascaró C, Tirapu I, Estiarte A, Ciceri F, Lunardi S, Guibourt N, Perdones A, Lufino MMP, Somervaille TCP, Wiseman DH, Duy C, Melnick A, Willekens C, Ortega A, Martinell M, Valls N, Kurz G, Fyfe M, Castro-Palomino JC, Buesa C. ORY-1001, a Potent and Selective Covalent KDMA Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Acute Leukemia. Cancer Cell. 2018 Mar 12;33(3):495-511.e12. PMID: 29502954
Chung SS, Kim E, Park JH, Chung YR, Lito P, Teruya-Feldstein J, Hu W, Beguelin W, Monette S, Duy C, Rampal R, Telis L, Patel M, Kim MK, Huberman K, Bouvier N, Berger MF, Melnick AM, Rosen N, Tallman MS, Park CY, Abdel-Wahab O. Hematopoietic stem cell origin of BRAFV600E mutations in hairy cell leukemia. Sci Transl Med. 2014 May 28;6(238):238ra71. PMID: 24871132
Duy C, Hurtz C, Shojaee S, Cerchietti L, Geng H, Swaminathan S, Klemm L, Kweon SM, Nahar R, Braig M, Park E, Kim YM, Hofmann WK, Herzog S, Jumaa H, Koeffler HP, Yu JJ, Heisterkamp N, Graeber TG, Wu H, Ye BH, Melnick A & Müschen M. BCL6 enables Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells to survive BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibition. Nature. 2011;473:384-388. PMID: 21593872
Duy C, Yu JJ, Nahar R, Swaminathan S, Kweon SM, Polo JM, Valls E, Klemm L, Shojaee S, Cerchietti L, Schuh W, Jack HM, Hurtz C, Ramezani-Rad P, Jäck HM, Herzog S, Jumaa H, Koeffler HP, de Alborán IM, Melnick AM, Ye BH & Müschen M. BCL6 is critical for the development of a diverse primary B cell repertoire. J Exp Med. 2010;207:1209-1221. PMID: 20498019
Klemm L, Duy C, Iacobucci I, Kuchen S, von Levetzow G, Feldhahn N, Henke N, Li Z, Hoffmann TK, Kim YM, Hofmann WK, Jumaa H, Groffen J, Heisterkamp N, Martinelli G, Lieber MR, Casellas R & Müschen M. The B cell mutator AID promotes B lymphoid blast crisis and drug resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia. Cancer Cell. 2009;16:232-45. PMID: 19732723
Duy C & Fitter J. How aggregation and conformational scrambling of unfolded states govern fluorescence emission spectra. Biophys J. 2006;90:3704-11. PMID: 16500981
Duy C & Fitter J. Thermostability of irreversible unfolding alpha-amylases analyzed by Unfolding kinetics. J Biol Chem. 2005;280:37360-5. PMID: 16150692
Open Positions
About the Position
The Duy laboratory is seeking a self-motivated and energetic individual to explore epigenetic mechanisms in hematological malignancies and join us on our scientific journey. We are passionate about understanding and targeting the mechanisms of cancer development and therapy resistance in leukemia cells and discovering novel therapeutics for patients.
Our lab offers a dynamic and interdisciplinary environment in close interaction with laboratory- and computational-focused researchers as well as world class scientists and clinicians. Team members will participate in developing innovative methods for research and assisting with the development of research projects in the lab. Moreover, they will gain experience and develop skill sets for next career stages while receiving guidance in the development of independent research interests and grant proposals.
The applicant must have a PhD or equivalent degree, published peer reviewed manuscripts, and strong expertise in genomics, epigenetics, and/or molecular biology. Bioinformatics skills will be an advantage. The candidate must be dedicated and will be expected to lead independent research projects, foster collaborations, and present and communicate research findings at meetings and conferences.
About the Training Environment
As one of the four original cancer centers to receive comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute, Fox Chase Cancer Center has been at the forefront of cancer research for almost 90 years. We are home to excellent research facilities, top clinicians and scientists, and outstanding patient care. Our singular focus on cancer, which couples discovery science with state of the art clinical care and population health, remains the foundation of our work.
The scientist training programs at Fox Chase Cancer Center provide professional development opportunities in four core areas identified as crucial for successful careers in science, research, and health care including communication, leadership, teaching, and mentorship. Upon joining the program, graduate students and postdocs develop individual development plans to help guide their growth. Training throughout the year is supplemented with free professional development opportunities, including a robust ‘How To’ series, writing courses, networking, mentorship, and teaching opportunities, a trainee-led seminar series, a trainee-led annual Research Conference, and more. Postdocs at Fox Chase Cancer Center are supported by the Temple University Postdoc Association and the Office of Academic Affairs at Fox Chase, and are compensated with competitive pay and benefits.
In addition to the robust training program, scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center benefit from being part of the rich scientific and biotech environment in the Philadelphia region. Many of our former trainees are now employees (and contacts) at nearby institutions and companies, including The Wistar Institute, Merck, GSK, AACR, and numerous others.
To Apply
If you share our passion for innovation and believe our lab is suited for you, please send 1) your CV, 2) a brief cover letter describing your expertise and scientific interests, and 3) names and contact information of three references to Dr. Cihangir Duy at [email protected]
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