Tyler Jacks
Encyclopedia
Tyler Jacks is a Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), an HHMI investigator, and director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
, which brings together biologists and engineers to improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
Jacks graduated magna cum laude with Highest Honors in biology from Harvard University
in 1983 and earned a PhD in biochemistry
from the University of California, San Francisco
in 1988. Jacks then went on to do postdoctoral research at MIT in the Whitehead Institute
in the lab of Robert Weinberg
. He was named an assistant professor at MIT in 1992 and associate professor with tenure
in 1997. In 2000, he was promoted to full professor standing. Jacks currently teaches the spring version of introductory biology (7.013) at MIT with Professor Hazel Sive.
Jacks served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute
and is a past president of the American Association of Cancer Research. He also sits on the board of directors at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. and Aveo Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at T2Biosystems, Inc. and at Epizyme, Inc.
. The lab focuses on using a series of mouse
strains carrying engineered mutations
known to be involved in human cancer. Through loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutations in tumor suppressor genes as well as the K-ras oncogene
, mouse
models of many types of cancer have been constructed, including lung, pancreatic cancer
, astrocytoma
, endometrioid ovarian cancer
, colorectal cancer
, sarcoma
,
retinoblastoma
, and tumors of the peripheral nervous system
.
. Jacks has also been named a Ludwig Research Scholar in Cancer Biology from Johns Hopkins University
. In 2002 he won the Chestnut Hill Award for Excellence in Medical Research, and in 2005 he won the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. Jacks was elected to the National Academy of Science in 2009.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT), an HHMI investigator, and director of the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
The David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research is a cancer research center affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States...
, which brings together biologists and engineers to improve detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
Jacks graduated magna cum laude with Highest Honors in biology from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1983 and earned a PhD in biochemistry
Biochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
from the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
in 1988. Jacks then went on to do postdoctoral research at MIT in the Whitehead Institute
Whitehead Institute
Founded in 1982, the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit research and teaching institution located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA....
in the lab of Robert Weinberg
Robert Weinberg
Robert Allan Weinberg is a Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research at MIT and American Cancer Society Research Professor; his research is in the area of oncogenes and the genetic basis of human cancer. Weinberg is also affiliated with the Broad Institute and is a founding member of the...
. He was named an assistant professor at MIT in 1992 and associate professor with tenure
Tenure
Tenure commonly refers to life tenure in a job and specifically to a senior academic's contractual right not to have his or her position terminated without just cause.-19th century:...
in 1997. In 2000, he was promoted to full professor standing. Jacks currently teaches the spring version of introductory biology (7.013) at MIT with Professor Hazel Sive.
Jacks served on the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Cancer Institute
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
and is a past president of the American Association of Cancer Research. He also sits on the board of directors at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. and Aveo Pharmaceuticals Inc. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board at T2Biosystems, Inc. and at Epizyme, Inc.
Research
Jacks has pioneered the use of gene-targeting technology in mice to study cancer-associated genes and to construct mouse models of many human cancer types. The Jacks lab studies the genetic events that lead to the development of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. The lab focuses on using a series of mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
strains carrying engineered mutations
known to be involved in human cancer. Through loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutations in tumor suppressor genes as well as the K-ras oncogene
Oncogene
An oncogene is a gene that has the potential to cause cancer. In tumor cells, they are often mutated or expressed at high levels.An oncogene is a gene found in the chromosomes of tumor cells whose activation is associated with the initial and continuing conversion of normal cells into cancer...
, mouse
models of many types of cancer have been constructed, including lung, pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer refers to a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. The most common type of pancreatic cancer, accounting for 95% of these tumors is adenocarcinoma, which arises within the exocrine component of the pancreas. A minority arises from the islet cells and is classified as a...
, astrocytoma
Astrocytoma
Astrocytomas are a type of neoplasm of the brain. They originate in a particular kind of glial-cells, star-shaped brain cells in the cerebrum called astrocytes. This type of tumor does not usually spread outside the brain and spinal cord and it does not usually affect other organs...
, endometrioid ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer
Ovarian cancer is a cancerous growth arising from the ovary. Symptoms are frequently very subtle early on and may include: bloating, pelvic pain, difficulty eating and frequent urination, and are easily confused with other illnesses....
, colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
, sarcoma
Sarcoma
A sarcoma is a cancer that arises from transformed cells in one of a number of tissues that develop from embryonic mesoderm. Thus, sarcomas include tumors of bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, vascular, and hematopoietic tissues...
,
retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma
Retinoblastoma is a rapidly developing cancer that develops in the cells of retina, the light-detecting tissue of the eye. In the developed world, Rb has one of the best cure rates of all childhood cancers , with more than nine out of every ten sufferers surviving into...
, and tumors of the peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
The peripheral nervous system consists of the nerves and ganglia outside of the brain and spinal cord. The main function of the PNS is to connect the central nervous system to the limbs and organs. Unlike the CNS, the PNS is not protected by the bone of spine and skull, or by the blood–brain...
.
Awards and recognitions
In 1997, Jacks received the Rhoads Award from the American Association of Cancer Research. In 1998, he won the Amgen Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyAmerican Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is a learned society that was founded on December 26, 1906 at a meeting organized by John Jacob Abel...
. Jacks has also been named a Ludwig Research Scholar in Cancer Biology from Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
. In 2002 he won the Chestnut Hill Award for Excellence in Medical Research, and in 2005 he won the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. Jacks was elected to the National Academy of Science in 2009.
Publications
- Kumar MS, Lu j, Mercer KL, Golub, TR and Jacks T. 2007. Impaired microRNA processing enhances cellular transformation and tumorigenesis. Nature Genetics, 39(5):673-677
- Shaw AT, Meissner A, Dowdle JA, Crowley D, Magendantz M, Ouyang C, Parisi T, Rajagopal J, Blank LJ, Bronson RT, Stone JR, Tuveson DA, Jaenisch, R, and Jacks, T. 2007. Sprouty-2 Regulates Oncogenic K-ras in Lung Development and Tumorigenesis. Genes & Development, 21(6):694-707.
- McLaughlin ME, Kruger GM, Slocum KL, Crowley D, Michaud NA, Huang J, Magendantz M, and Jacks T. 2007. The Nf2 tumor suppressor regulates cell-cell adhesion during tissue fusion. PNAS,104(9):3261-3266.
- Ventura, A, Kirsch DG, McLaughlin ME, Tuveson DA, Grimm J, Lintault L, Newman J, Reczek EE, Weissleder R and Jacks T. 2007. Restoration of p53 function leads to tumor regression in vivo. Nature, 445, 661-665
- Macpherson D, Conkrite K, Tam M, Mukai S, Mu D, and Jacks T. 2007. Murine bilateral retinoblastoma exhibiting rapid-onset, metastatic progression and N-myc gene amplification. EMBO J, 26, 784-794
- Carla F. Kim, Erica L Jackson, Amber E Woolfenden, Sharon Lawrence, Imran Babar, Sinae Vogel, Denise Crowley, Roderick T Bronson, Tyler Jacks 2005. Identification of bronchioalveolar stem cells in normal lung and lung cancer. Cell, 121(6):823-835.
- Alejandro Sweet-Cordero, Sayan Mukherjee, Aravind Subramanian, Han You, Jeff Roix, Christine Ladd, Todd R. Golub, Tyler Jacks. 2005. An oncogenic Kras expression signature identified by cross-species gene expression analysis. Nature Genetics, 37 (1), 48-55
- Daniela M. Dinulescu, Tan A. Ince, Bradley J. Quade, Sarah A. Shafer, Denise Crowley, Tyler Jacks. 2005. Role of K-ras and Pten in the Development of Mouse Models of Endometriosis and Endometrioid Ovarian Cancer. Nature Medicine, 11 (1), 63-70.
- Kenneth P. Olive, David A. Tuveson, Zachary C. Ruhe, Bob Yin, Nicholas A. Willis, Roderick T. Bronson, Denise Crowley, Tyler Jacks. 2004. Mutant p53 Gain-of-Function in Two Mouse Models of Li-Fraumeni Syndrome. Cell, 119 (6), 847-860.
- Ventura A, Meissner A, Dillon CP, McManus M, Sharp PA, Van Parijs L, Jaenisch R, Jacks T. 2004. Cre-lox-regulated conditional RNA interference from transgenes. PNAS (101):10380-10385.