Reuben Shaw

American cancer scientist
Reuben Shaw
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCornell University (BS, Biology) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (PhD)
AwardsClarivate Top Cited Researcher (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)

NCI Outstanding Investigator Award (2017)

Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist (2009)
Scientific career
FieldsCancer

Cell biology

Metabolism
Academic advisorsTyler Jacks (MIT) and Lewis C. Cantley (Harvard)

Reuben Shaw is an American cancer researcher. He is a professor and director of the National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, one of the NCI's seven basic laboratory cancer centers in the United States.[1][2][3] He researches signaling pathways that control tumor metabolism, with a specific focus on an ancient energy-sensing pathway that controls biological response to starvation.[4][5]

Education

Reuben Shaw grew up in New York state, where he later earned a degree in biology from Cornell University.[6] Shaw then earned his Ph.D. in cancer biology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with advisor Tyler Jacks. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School with advisor Lewis C. Cantley.[7]

Career and research

In 2004, Reuben Shaw discovered a link between primitive energy-sensing AMP-activated protein kinase and tumor suppressing Lkb1.[8][7] In 2005, his lab showed that the type 2 diabetes drug Metformin operates by targeting both Lkb1 and AMP-activated protein kinase.[9] Since then, he has researched AMPK, its downstream targets, and how its molecular pathway functions in relation to diabetes and cancer.[10]

Shaw joined the Salk Institute for Biological Studies as an assistant professor in 2006.[7] He became a professor at Salk in 2014 and currently holds the William R. Brody Chair.[1] He is also currently an adjunct professor in molecular biology at University of California, San Diego.

Shaw has made a variety of discoveries related to the AMPK pathway:

  • The enzyme AMPK senses when nutrients and energy levels are low, then consequently limits cell growth and reprograms metabolism to withstand such deficits.[11][4]
  • The AMPK pathway is related to LKB1 and altered in non-small-cell lung cancer.[9][12]
  • A non-small-cell lung cancer altered AMPK pathway can be reinitiated by treatment with the type 2 diabetes medication Metformin.[9][13][14]

Shaw uses a combination of genetic engineering in mice and interdisciplinary studies across cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and aging.[15][16] His research contributes to the development of therapeutic solutions to cancers and metabolic diseases, such as the pivot of Metformin to potentially treat cancers and the identification of LKB1 as a target for non-small-cell lung cancer treatments.[15][17]

Awards and honors

  • Clarivate Top Cited Researcher, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022[18][19]
  • Member of Lustgarten Advancing Breakthrough Science Program, 2022[20]
  • Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Endeavor Award, 2022[21]
  • Curebound Discovery Grant, 2022, and member of Scientific Advisory Board[22]
  • NCI Outstanding Investigator Award, 2017[23]
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist, 2009[24]
  • The V Foundation for Cancer Research Scholar Award, 2006[25]

References

  1. ^ a b "Reuben Shaw, PhD". Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  2. ^ "Cancer Center Leadership". Salk Institute for Biological Studies. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  3. ^ "NCI-Designated Cancer Centers - NCI". www.cancer.gov. 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  4. ^ a b Shackelford, David B.; Shaw, Reuben J. (2009-08-01). "The LKB1-AMPK pathway: metabolism and growth control in tumour suppression". Nature Reviews. Cancer. 9 (8): 563–575. doi:10.1038/nrc2676. ISSN 1474-1768. PMC 2756045. PMID 19629071.
  5. ^ Meiling, Brittany (2016-01-06). "Reuben Shaw Tapped to Lead Salk Cancer Center". San Diego Business Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  6. ^ "Katja Lamia, Reuben Shaw". The New York Times. 2006-08-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  7. ^ a b c "Reuben Shaw: A fated pathway". The Scientist Magazine®. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  8. ^ Shaw, Reuben J.; Kosmatka, Monica; Bardeesy, Nabeel; Hurley, Rebecca L.; Witters, Lee A.; DePinho, Ronald A.; Cantley, Lewis C. (2004-03-09). "The tumor suppressor LKB1 kinase directly activates AMP-activated kinase and regulates apoptosis in response to energy stress". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 101 (10): 3329–3335. Bibcode:2004PNAS..101.3329S. doi:10.1073/pnas.0308061100. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 373461. PMID 14985505.
  9. ^ a b c "Reuben Shaw, Ph.D., a geneticist and researcher at the Salk Institute: Metabolism Influences Cancer". Leaders in Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence (LPBI) Group. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  10. ^ Shaw, Reuben J. (2006-12-01). "Glucose metabolism and cancer". Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 18 (6): 598–608. doi:10.1016/j.ceb.2006.10.005. ISSN 0955-0674. PMID 17046224.
  11. ^ Worsley, Oliver (2016-04-27). "Salk team IDs cell 'fuel gauge,' drawing important link in cancer and diabetes metabolism". FierceBiotech. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  12. ^ Goodwin, Jonathan M. (2014-07-17). "A novel AMPK-independent signaling pathway downstream of the LKB1 tumor suppressor controls Snail1 and metastatic potential". Molecular Cell. 55 (3): 436–450. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2014.06.021. PMC 4151130. PMID 25042806.
  13. ^ Shaw, Reuben J.; Lamia, Katja A.; Vasquez, Debbie; Koo, Seung-Hoi; Bardeesy, Nabeel; Depinho, Ronald A.; Montminy, Marc; Cantley, Lewis C. (2005-12-09). "The kinase LKB1 mediates glucose homeostasis in liver and therapeutic effects of metformin". Science. 310 (5754): 1642–1646. Bibcode:2005Sci...310.1642S. doi:10.1126/science.1120781. ISSN 1095-9203. PMC 3074427. PMID 16308421.
  14. ^ "Diabetes drug has unexpected, broad implications for healthy aging: Scientists discover multiple mechanisms at work in widely-used diabetes drug metformin". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  15. ^ a b "Reuben Shaw, Ph.D., a geneticist and researcher at the Salk Institute: Metabolism Influences Cancer". Leaders in Pharmaceutical Business Intelligence (LPBI) Group. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  16. ^ "Identification of Metabolic Targets and Vulnerabilities in Genetically-Defined Cohorts of Lung Cancer". The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  17. ^ Shaw, Reuben. "Decoding And Targeting The LKB1-AMPK Signaling Pathway In Cancer". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. ^ "Highly Cited Researchers". Clarivate. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  19. ^ "Past lists". Clarivate. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  20. ^ "Lustgarten Foundation awards $5 million for pancreatic cancer research". Philanthropy News Digest. 2022-02-20. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  21. ^ "Inspiring Collaboration in Cancer Research: The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Announces 2022 Endeavor Award Recipients". The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research. 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2023-03-16.
  22. ^ "Curebound | Who We Are". www.curebound.org. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  23. ^ The ASCO Post Staff (August 25, 2017). "Reuben Shaw, PhD, Receives NCI Outstanding Investigator Award - The ASCO Post". ascopost.com. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
  24. ^ "Howard Hughes Medical Institute | 2011 Annual Report | Researchers". media.hhmi.org. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
  25. ^ "Our Cancer Research Grants". V Foundation. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
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