Frank A. Simmen
Professor
Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Hawaii
Office: (501) 686-8128
Email: simmenfranka@uams.edu

My laboratory works on colon oncogenesis in rat and mouse and in vitro models.  We are examining how the hormonal milieu (insulin, insulin-like growth factors, and thyroid hormones) and dietary factors (such as those present in soy protein isolates) cumulatively affect colon tumor-initiating cell characteristics in vivo and in vitro.  Our long-term goals are to develop new strategies for dietary prevention of colo-rectal cancers.  We are also interested in developing new opportunities for augmenting colon tumor cell killing by chemotherapeutics via use of dietary phytochemicals that target the tumor-initiating cells and/or relevant endocrine pathways.  Lastly, we are searching for insulin-regulated miRNAs that regulate lipogenic pathways in colon cancer and intestinal cells.   

Representative Publications
Lack of efficacy of blueberry in nutritional prevention of azoxymethane-initiated cancers of rat small intestine and colon. Simmen FA, Frank JA, Wu X, Xiao R, Hennings LJ, Prior RL. BMC Gastroenterol. 2009;9:67.

Dietary soy protein inhibits DNA damage and cell survival of colon epithelial cells through attenuated expression of fatty acid synthase. Xiao R, Su Y, Simmen RC, Simmen FA. Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2008;294(4):G868-76.

Soy protein diet alters expression of hepatic genes regulating fatty acid and thyroid hormone metabolism in the male rat. Simmen FA, Mercado CP, Zavacki AM, Huang SA, Greenway AD, Kang P, Bowman MT, Prior RL. J Nutr Biochem. 2009 Dec 2. [Epub ahead of print]

The emerging role of Krüppel-like factors in endocrine-responsive cancers of female reproductive tissues. Simmen RC, Pabona JM, Velarde MC, Simmons C, Rahal O, Simmen FA. J Endocrinol. 2010;204(3):223-31.

Functional differentiation of uterine stromal cells involves cross-regulation between bone morphogenetic protein 2 and Kruppel-like factor (KLF) family members KLF9 and KLF13. Pabona JM, Zeng Z, Simmen FA, Simmen RC. Endocrinology. 2010;151(7):3396-406.

Link to Dr. Simmen at Pub-Med

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