Maria Cecilia Mendonca Torres MD

Education

Medical School: Federal Fluminense University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. M.D., 1984-1990

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

2010 Val G. Hemming Award for Research Excellence. Putko RM, Mendonca MC, Roberts SS. Notch Pathway Activity in Neuroblastoma.

2010 Emma Bockman Award for Research Excellence . Putko RM, Mendonca MC, Roberts SS. Notch Pathway Activity in Neuroblastoma

2007 John F. Maher Award for Research Excellence. Mendonca MC, Doi SQ, Glerum S and Sellitti DF. Increase of C-Type Natriuetic Peptide Expression by serum and Derived Growth Factor-BB in Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Platelet

Bikas A, Jensen K, Patel A, Costello J, Reynolds SM, Mendonca-Torres MC, Thakur S, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J, Ylli D, Wartofsky L, Burman K, Vasko V. Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 4 (COX4): A Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Sep 8;12(9).

Jensen K, Thakur S, Patel A, Mendonca-Torres MC, Costello J, Gomes-Lima CJ, Walter M, Wartofsky L, Burman KD, Bikas A, Ylli D, Vasko VV, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J. Detection of BRAFV600E in Liquid Biopsy from Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness and Response to Therapy. J Clin Med. 2020 Aug 2;9(8).

Bikas, Athanasios; Jensen, Kirk; Patel, Aneeta ; Costello, John; Reynolds, Sarah; Mendonca-Torres, Maria; Thakur S, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J, Ylli D, Wartofsky L, Burman K, Vasyl V. Cytochrome C Oxidase Subunit 4 (COX4): A Potential Therapeutic Target for the Treatment of Medullary Thyroid Cancer. Cancers, September 2020, Volume 12, Issue 9

Jensen K, Thakur S, Patel A, Mendonca-Torres MC, Costello J, Gomes-Lima CJ, Walter M, Leonard W; Burman KD, Bikas A, Dorina Y; Vasko VV, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J. Detection of BRAFV600E in Liquid Biopsy from Patients with Papillary Thyroid Cancer Is Associated with Tumor Aggressiveness and Response to Therapy. Journal of Clinical Medicine, August 2020, Volume 9, Issue 8

Ylli D, Patel A, Jensen K, Li ZZ , Mendonca-Torres MC, Costello J, Gomes-Lima CJ, Wartofsky L, Burman KD and Vasko VV. Microfluidic Droplet Digital PCR Is a Powerful Tool for Detection of BRAF and TERT Mutations in Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas. December 2019 Cancers 11(12):1916

Kristen Romanelli, Justin Wells, Aneeta Patel, Maria Mendonca Torres, John Costello, Kirk Jensen and Vasyl Vasko. Clinical and molecular characterization of thyroid cancer when seen as a second malignant neoplasm. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab.2021, Vol. 12: 1–13

American Thyroid Association (ATA) "Chlorpromazine Inhibits Mitochondrial Function, Induces DNA Damage and Inhibits Medullary Thyroid Cancer Cell Growth in vitro and in vivo". Oral presentation at the 90th Annual Meeting from September 30 – October 3, 2021. Athanasis Bikas, Sarah Reynolds, Maria Mendonca-Torres, Aneeta Patel, John Costello, Kirk Jensen, Shilpa Thakur, Joanna Klubo-Gwiezdzinska, Leonard Wartofsky, Kenneth D. Burman and Vasyl Vasko. Thyroid

Representative Bibliography

Sholler GS, Currier EA, Dutta A, Slavik MA, Illenye SA, Mendonca MC, Dragon J, Roberts SS, Bond JP. PCI-24781 (abexinostat), a novel histone deacetylase inhibitor, induces reactive oxygen species-dependent apoptosis and is synergistic with bortezomib in neuroblastoma. J Cancer Ther Res. 2013 Dec 28;2:21

Mendonça-Torres MC, Roberts SS. The translocator protein (TSPO) ligand PK11195 induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest and sensitizes to chemotherapy treatment in pre- and post-relapse neuroblastoma cell lines. Cancer Biol Ther. 2013 Jan 28;14(4).

Mendonça MC, Koles N, Doi SQ, Sellitti DF. Protein kinase C-delta (PKC-delta) and PKC-alpha mediate Ca2+ -dependent increases in CNP mRNA in human vascular cells. Vascular Pharmacology. 2012 May 11

Sellitti DF, Koles N, Mendonça MC. Regulation of C-type natriuretic peptide expression. Peptides. 2011 Sep;32(9):1964-71. Epub 2011 Jul 23

Mendonça MC, Koles N, Doi SQ, Sellitti DF. Transforming growth factor-beta1 regulation of C-type natriuretic peptide expression in human vascular smooth muscle cells: dependence on TSC22D1. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2010 Dec;299(6):H2018-27.

Doi SQ. Chilakamarri GC, Mendonca MC, Araujo M, Nguyen N, Zuhl I, List EO, Kopchick JJ, Hirata MH, Sellitti DF. Increased Class A Scavenger Receptor and Glomerular Lipid Precede Mesangial Matrix Expansion in the bGH Mouse Model. Growth Hormone & IGF Res. 2010 August;20(4):326-32. Epub 2010 Jun 25.

Roberts SS, Mendonça-Torres MC, Jensen K, Francis GL, Vasko V. GABA Receptor Expression in Benign and Malignant Thyroid Tumors. Pathol. Onc. Res.. 2009 Dec;15(4):645-50. Epub 2009 Apr 19.

Mendonça MC, Rezende A, Doi SQ, Sellitti DF. Lysophosphatidylcholine Increases C-type Natriuretic Peptide Expression in Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells via Membrane Distortion. Vascular Pharmacology 51 (2009) 29-36.

Mendonca MC, Doi SQ, Glerum S and Sellitti DF. Increase of C-Type Natriuetic Peptide Expression by serum and Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB in Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells Is Dependent on Protein Kinase C Activation. Endocrinology, September 2006,147(9):4169-4178

Mendonça-Torres MC, Newton TC, Sholler G and Roberts Stephen SS. Side population analysis and gene expression profiling identify Notch pathway genes in neuroblastoma. (Advances in Neuroblastoma Research (ANR) Annual meeting Toronto - June 18- 21, 2012