Endowed Professor

Email: matangrea@loyola.edu
Phone: 410-617-2170
Fax: 410-617-5682

Office

Knott Hall 102D
Department of Biology
Loyola University Maryland
4501 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210-2699

Biography

Translational research bridges basic research and patient care through the development of new therapies, medical devices, digital health applications or novel diagnostics.  This ‘bench to bedside” approach is one that has been fostered by the National Cancer Institute, where I previously worked for over 12 years.  With my background in Cell and Molecular Biology, my research focuses on the development of new technologies to improve molecular diagnostics for cancer.  I am particularly interested in identifying new biomarkers for the early detection of metastatic disease.
 
My lab uses a number of molecular techniques to evaluate tissue specimens, including immunohistochemistry, digital pathology and real-time PCR.  Over the years, I have invented several new technologies advancing precision medicine and have been fortunate enough to work with a diverse group of engineers, physicists, scientists and physicians.  In addition to my time at the National Cancer Institute, I have also worked in the community hospital setting at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, where I led the LifeBridge Health oncology clinical research program for several years.  Working closely with nurses, clinicians and other medical staff helped me identify areas for improvement in patient care that continues to fuel my creativity in the lab today. 

Another aspect of translational research is the business of technology transfer.  I have been directly involved with creating new startup companies commercializing my inventions to make a positive impact on cancer research and precision medicine.  While at LifeBridge Health, I also launched a BioIncubator, which provides wet lab space and other support for early-stage biomedical companies as they develop their technologies.  Since the launch in 2016, the BioIncubator has supported over 15 different molecular diagnostic and medical device startup companies.  Through this experience, I have been actively involved with the BioHealth Capital Region, which now ranks fourth in the nation for biotech/biopharma.  Loyola University Maryland is located within this region and I am working with Dr. Chris Thompson and BioNavigators to raise awareness of the vast array of biohealth career opportunities.

I am excited to be back at my alma mater and work with students in the lab to continue my translational research efforts. I have benefited from outstanding mentors through the years and look forward to giving back, helping the next generation find their passion and career path.

Publications

• Hipp JD, Johann DJ, Chen Y, Madabhushi A, Monaco J, Cheng J, Rodriguez-Canales J, Stumpe MC, Riedlinger G, Rosenberg AZ, Hanson JC, Kunju LP, Emmert-Buck MR, Balis UJ, Tangrea MA. Computer-Aided Laser Dissection: A Microdissection Workflow Leveraging Image Analysis Tools. J Pathol Inform. 2018 Dec 
• Thompson C, Sanchez J, Smith M, Costello J, Madabushi A, Schuh-Nuhfer N, Miranda R, Gaines B, Kennedy K, Tangrea M, Rivers D. Improving Undergraduate Life Science Education for the Biosciences Workforce: Overcoming the Disconnect between Educators and Industry. CBE Life Sci Educ. 2018 Sep
• Rosenberg AZ, Armani MD, Fetsch PA, Xi L, Pham TT, Raffeld M, Chen Y, O'Flaherty N, Stussman R, Blackler AR, Du Q, Hanson JC, Roth MJ, Filie AC, Roh MH, Emmert-Buck MR, Hipp JD, Tangrea MA. High-Throughput Microdissection for Next-Generation Sequencing. PLoS One. 2016 Mar 
• Frost AR, Eltoum IE, Siegal GP, Emmert-Buck MR, Tangrea MA. Laser Microdissection. Curr Protoc Mol Biol. 2015 Oct 
• Armani M, Tangrea M, Yang B, Rosenberg A, Ylaya K, Morris J, Rodriguez-Canales J, Hanson J, Shapiro B, Emmert-Buck MR, Smela E, Hewitt SM. Multiplex quantitative measurement of mRNAs from fixed tissue microarray sections. Appl Immunohistochem Mol Morphol. 2014 May-Jun
• Hipp JD, Cheng J, Hanson JC, Rosenberg AZ, Emmert-Buck MR, Tangrea MA, Balis UJ. SIVQ-LCM protocol for the ArcturusXT instrument. J Vis Exp. 2014 Jul
• Chen Y, Dodd SJ, Tangrea MA, Emmert-Buck MR, Koretsky AP. Measuring collective cell movement and extracellular matrix interactions using magnetic resonance imaging. Sci Rep. 2013
• Mukherjee S, Rodriguez-Canales J, Hanson J, Emmert-Buck MR, Tangrea MA, Prieto DA, Blonder J, Johann DJ Jr. Proteomic analysis of frozen tissue samples using laser capture microdissection. Methods Mol Biol. 2013
• Du Q, Yan W, Burton VH, Hewitt SM, Wang L, Hu N, Taylor PR, Armani MD, Mukherjee S, Emmert-Buck MR, Tangrea MA. Validation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma candidate genes from high-throughput transcriptomic studies. Am J Cancer Res. 2013 Aug 

Area of Specialization 

• Cancer Translational Research and BioInnovation