Jian Cao, M.D.
Associate Professor of Research Medicine
Email: jian.cao@sunysb.edu
Tel: 631-632-1815 (office)
631-632-1816 (Lab)
Dr. Cao is a Medical Scientist whose career began shortly after receiving his medical doctoral degree at Zhenzhou University School of Medicine (Henan Medical University), China. His interest in cancer research began during his training in experimental pathology in Peking Union Medical College, Tsinghua University (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences) in Beijing, China, where he received his Master Degree of Sciences. Dr. Cao’s research background was further strengthened in the field of molecular and cellular biology of cancer during his postdoctoral training in the laboratories of Dr. M. Seiki in Japan and Dr. S. Zucker in New York. He was among the first scientists to discover the membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) and demonstrated that this novel protease plays a key role in cancer metastasis. Dr. Cao joined the faculty at Stony Brook University in 1998 as an Assistant Professor, and was promoted to Associate Professor of Research Medicine in 2008. His work at Stony Brook University led to: 1) the demonstration of the role of MT1-MMP in early cancer dissemination; 2) the discovery of an alternative approach targeting specific MMPs; 3) the identification of a novel surrogate marker in cancer cell migration/invasion; and 4) the development of a powerful screening tool for anti-cancer drug discovery using a three-dimensional cell culture system. His current research interests involve studying three broad aspects of cancer metastasis: 1) to better understand the mechanism of cancer invasion and metastasis; 2) to develop novel tools for early cancer diagnosis and prognosis; and 3) to identify inhibitors of cancer dissemination. Dr. Cao’s long-term goal is to develop drugs to prevent metastasis.
Publications selected since 2008
1. Cao J , Chiarelli C, Richman O, Zarrabi K, Kozarekar P, Zucker S. (2008) Membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP) induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in prostate cancer. J Biol Chem. 7;283(10):6232-40.
2. Antoine Dufour, Nicole Sampson, Stanley Zucker and Jian Cao (2008) Role of the Hemopexin Domain of Matrix Metalloproteinases in Cell Migration, J Cell Physiol. 217(3):643-51.
3. Stanley Zucker and Jian Cao (2009) Selective Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP) Inhibitors in Therapy- Ready for Prime Time? Cancer Biol Ther. 8(24): 2371–2373.
4. Sina A., Proulx-Bonneau S., Roy A., Poliquin L., Cao J. & Annabi B. (2010) The lectin concanavalin-A signals MT1-MMP catalytic independent induction of COX-2 through an IKKgamma/NF-kappaB-dependent pathway. J. Cell Commun. Signal. 4:31–38
5. Dufour A, Zucker S, Sampson NS, Kuscu C, Cao J. (2010) Role of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) dimers in cell migration: design of inhibitory peptides, J. Biol. Chem., 12;285(46):35944-56.
6. Maria Pavlaki , Stanley Zucker, Antoine Dufour, Nikki Calabrese, Wadie Bahou, and Jian Cao (2010) Furin Functions as a Non Proteolytic Chaperone For Matrix Metalloproteinase-28 (MMP-28): MMP-28 Propeptide Sequence Requirement, Biochemistry Research International (http://www.hindawi.com /journals/bcri/aip.630319.html)
