Ruth A. Keri, PhD

Staff, Department of Cancer Biology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic

Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, Lerner College of Medicine

Associate Director for Basic Research, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

kerir@ccf.org
(216) 445-1323 (o)

For more than 20 years, my research has focused on the genomic and signaling mechanisms that control mammary gland development and cancer. I have significant expertise in the acquisition and use of gene expression profiling data to identify novel factors that may control the phenotypes of breast cancer cells.  This has involved generating and using data from cell lines, genetically manipulated and patient-derived xenograft mouse models of breast cancer, as well as evaluation of publicly available human breast cancer genomic data. I have designed and used mouse models of disease throughout my research career, including assessing the efficacy of therapeutic agents in mammary cancer models. I also have significant experience assessing drug synergy, in vitro and in vivo. My laboratory extensively uses xenograft models of breast cancer. We also have expertise in the analysis of proliferation and apoptosis, migration and invasion, centrosome defects and genomic instability, epigenetics, transcription, as well as immunohistochemistry of mouse and human tissues. As a result, we have unrivaled capacity to examine the functional significance of pathways and drugs targeting those pathways in mammary development and cancer. Underscoring this ability, I co-lead the Breast Cancer Center of Excellence at the Lerner Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic and am the Women’s Cancers Ribbon Facilitator for the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC).

Darcie Seachrist, PhD

Research Program Manager III

seachrd@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

My career in basic science research began at the University of Akron, where I studied the link between stress, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. After a short stint working at a small biotech company researching the efficacy of a complement inhibitor in cardiac reperfusion injury, I returned to academia as a research assistant at CWRU. I began my tenure in the Pharmacology Department working for Dr. John Nilson, studying the role of pituitary development and tumorigenesis. I have since expanded my research focus to include breast development and cancer under the mentorship of Dr. Ruth Keri and have been a member of her lab for more than a cajillion years.

Kristen Weber Bonk

Lead Research Technologist

weberbk@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

I was born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio. I attended Kent State and Cleveland State for my BS and graduated CWRU with a Master of Science. I began working with Dr. Keri when she was still a post doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. John Nilson. I have worked for her since the establishment of her lab and I have never been allowed to leave. Throughout the years, I have worked on a number of projects that have honed my skills in a variety of mouse surgical techniques. This has led to my current position as manager of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Athymic Core Facility, as well as working in the Keri lab. I enjoy spending with my kids and family, knitting and playing roller derby as a member of the Burning River Roller Girls.

Parth Majmudar

Graduate Student

majmudp2@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

I was born in Maryland but lived up north very briefly before my family moved to Nashville, TN, which is where I’ve spent most of my life, enjoying 50⁰ winters and drinking sweet tea. I’ve been fascinated by science for as long as I can remember, reading books on animal behavior, psychology, and anything else I could get my hands on. I attended Belmont University, majoring in Biology with a Premed emphasis. As a part of the Honors Program, we were required to write a thesis and this was what introduced me to the wonders of scientific research. I wanted to explore this career path instead of medicine and so I decided to pursue a Master’s degree at Lipscomb University. Under the guidance of Dr. Beth Conway, I was able to bolster my research experience by studying the role of the endothelin axis in invasive breast cancer. After graduating, I knew I wanted to do research and that brought me to Case Western and Dr. Keri’s lab, where I feel ideally positioned to contribute to our understanding of breast cancer and development.

Jessica Bobbitt

Graduate Student

venturj@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

I was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and attended the University of Cincinnati for my undergraduate studies. Midway through college and unsure of what I wanted to do with my life, I participated in UC’s Women in Science and Engineering program. I worked in the laboratory of Dr. In-Kwon Kim to elucidate the structure and function of ADP-ribosyl-acceptor hydrolase 3, an important protein in poly(ADP-ribose) metabolism. It was there that I fell in love with laboratory research and realized my passion for science. Over the next two years I worked hard to gain research experience while earning my bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology with a minor in Chemistry so that I could go on to pursue a graduate degree. In Dr. Keri’s lab I hope to make discoveries that will contribute to the understanding of cancer biology and therapeutics.

Natasha Ingles-Martinez

Medical Scientist Training Program Student

inglesn@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

I am originally from Puerto Rico. There, I completed my bachelor's degree in Pre-Med and Microbiology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. I came to Cleveland in July 2017 after being accepted to the PREP program at CWRU. Since then I've been part of the Keri Lab.

Taylor Baker

Graduate Student

bakert5@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

I am a Pennsylvania native, born and raised in Pottstown. Long before college, my family and I knew I was a wet-lab biologist in training. As a toddler, I was always playing with the frogs down by my parents' pond and asking how so many creatures of different shapes and sizes exist and manage to live in the same space. I attended Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA for my undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. There, I studied the molecular mechanisms of the cGAS pathway that promote the production of interferons with the activation of the innate immune system. I am thrilled to join Dr. Ruth Keri's laboratory so I can begin investigating the intricacies of breast cancer development, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance.

Mary Vincent

Graduate Student

vincenm3@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

Hi! My name is Mary Vincent and I am a Cleveland native, and currently live in the suburbs. I credit my introduction to science to my upbringing, as it was a norm in my family for us to go see public lectures given at local colleges. My brother found a passion for the stars and galaxies beyond, where I found my wonder in the worlds that can be unveiled by a microscope. I first began my adventure at Miami University in the lab of Dr. Eileen Bridge, where we used Adenovirus as a model system to study the DNA damage response. After graduation, I left with a BS in microbiology and continued my education with a clinical year with the Cleveland School of Medical Laboratory Science, where I obtained ASCP certification and a BS in Medical Laboratory Science. For the next two years I worked in the Clinical Microbiology department here at the Cleveland Clinic, where I helped identify pathogens in patients specimens and provided clinicians with data regarding potential antibiotic regimens. Having been both in the research and clinical worlds, I then joined the Molecular Medicine PhD program. In the Keri lab, I aim to continue my career with translationally focused research and find the middle ground between both of these worlds where we challenge the limit of what we know and bring those discoveries to improve patient outcomes.

Mitch Valentine

Lab Technician II

valentm11@ccf.org
216-445-1008 (o)

I was born and raised in the Chicago, Illinois area and moved to Cleveland in 2019 to attend Case Western Reserve University. As an undergrad, I spent 2+ years in the Keri Lab and participated in the Cancer-Focused Summer Undergraduate Research Program (summer 2022). After graduating in May 2023 with degrees in biochemistry and psychology, I excitedly joined the Keri lab full-time to continue my research studying breast cancer biology and therapeutics. In my free time, I enjoy preparing and consuming mashed potatoes (see attached picture).