Women Leading the Way
Marina Konopleva, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor in the Departments of Leukemia and Stem Cell Transplantation, earned her medical degree and trained in hematology at the Pavlov Medical Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, where she later received her Ph.D. from the Federal Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion. She completed her postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson in 1996 and has been a faculty member since 1998. Dr. Konopleva's translational research has improved our understanding of how and why chemoresistance occurs among many leukemia patients. Several of her findings led to promising clinical trials.
Dr. Konopleva's major interest focuses on the regulation of apoptosis in normal and leukemic stem cells in the context of the bone marrow microenvironment. Findings have indicated overexpression of the antiapoptotic genes Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL in quiescent leukemic cells but not in normal progenitor cells and the ability of bone marrow stromal cells to induce Bcl-2 expression. She has explored strategies of sensitization to chemotherapy by inhibition of these genes, such as antisense oligonucleotides and small molecule inhibitors. She has further identified Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/ILK signaling pathways as pro-survival pathways abnormally activated in AML cells.
Dr. Konopleva along with her husband, Sergej, and daughters, Masha and Katya
Dr. Konopleva is currently investigating the role of the leukemia microenvironment in the chemoresistance of leukemias mediated by activation of these pathways. Presently, her laboratory is interested in further delineating the role that bone marrow microenvironment plays in the chemoresistance of leukemic cells. She has demonstrated that interactions between stroma-secreted SDF-1 and CXCR4 prevent chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in CLL and AML. Dr. Konopleva has recently found that leukemia is associated with vast expansion of the hypoxia in the bone marrow, which in turn promotes chemoresistance of leukemic cells. Based on those findings, she has initiated two clinical trials with hypoxia-activated prodrugs in hematologic malignancies.
Dr. Konopleva has a remarkable track record in molecular hematology, as evidenced by over 120 peer-reviewed publications; she is either first or last author of 33 of these. Among her latest collaborations is a novel nanotechnology-based therapy with investigators at Rice University. She is the recipient of highly competitive grant awards from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, Keck Foundation, The American Cancer Society and National Cancer Institute. Recently, she received the 2011 Faculty Scholar Award.
Dr. Konopleva and her daughters, Katya and Anastasia
Dr. Konopleva serves as a reviewer for multiple journals including Blood, Cancer Research, Leukemia, Molecular Pharmacology, Haematologica and Stem Cells. She has also been a devoted mentor to clinical trainees, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who work with her on various laboratory grants and projects.
As an experienced scientist, Dr. Konopleva continues to make significant contributions to the collaborative programs at MD Anderson Cancer Center.