Stephanie Dance-Barnes

Human breast tumors show great diversity in their morphologies, clinical histories and in their responsiveness to chemotherapy. This wide tumor diversity poses one of the central challenges to the accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of breast cancers. The focus of Dr. Dance-Barnes’ research has been to characterize the biological diversity of tumors using genomics, molecular genetics, and cell biology, in order to develop improved and more targeted therapies that are specific for each tumor subtype. Most recently her lab has utilized mouse mammary tumors cells cultured from mice in which K14-Cre has deleted p53 and BRCA1. These mouse mammary tumor cells appear to initially possess a basal-like phenotype and are responsive to a number of breast cancer treatments such as, Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, and PARP inhibitors. Serial transplants of these tumors have resulted in them presenting a more claudin-low phenotype, and also being resistant to treatments. Student researchers in Dr. Dance-Barnes’ lab have utilized several alternative natural cancer treatments in an effort to assess whether they can overcome the resistance exhibited by these mouse mammary tumors. The ultimate goal of the Dance-Barnes lab is to use genomics, genetics, cell culture, and animal models to decipher the underlying biology of the molecular subtypes of breast cancer, and then using this biological information to develop therapies that are specifically targeted against distinct subtypes of breast cancer. Dr. Dance-Barnes has worked collaboratively with researchers at Wake Forest University Comprehensive Cancer Center to secure funding from the Department of Defense and National Institutes of Health to support underrepresented undergraduate students in cancer research. She also has an ongoing research collaboration with the laboratory of Dr. Charles Perou of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Currently Dr. Dance-Barnes is the PI for a funded NSF ITEST grant.  This project has potential to impact STEM career awareness and intentions among a perpetually underrepresented population of PreK-12 students and to imbue their teachers with culturally relevant and responsive tools necessary to promote continued STEM success. The proposed model curriculum would introduce interventions early in the STEM pipeline; thereby diminishing barriers to STEM education by encouraging STEM engagement and awareness by making connections between elusive science concepts and interests that have personal meaning to typically low-performing and underrepresented students. The long-term goals of this project are to establish a framework for a program that encompasses scalable methods of engaging underrepresented students in STEM career awareness through culturally relevant technology-enriched approaches. Additionally, these approaches will be sustainable and support long-term STEM learning practices through the implementation of a holistic, culturally relevant intervention that empowers the students, teachers, and parents through a synergistic STEM learning ecosystem.

Dance-Barnes, S.T., Hollern, D.P, Contreras, C.M., Silva, G.O., Pfefferle, A.P. Xiong, J., Usary, J., Darr, D., and Perou, Charles. A mouse model featuring tissue specific deletion of p53 and Brca 1 rise to mammary tumors with genomic and transcriptomic similarities to human basal-like breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 174:1 (2019) 143-155.

Dance-Barnes, S.T., Evans, E., Justice, B., Stewart, S., Jackson, R., Davis, J., Glaspie, D., Xiaping, H, and Perou,C. Characterization of a Novel p53; BRCA1-Deficient Claudin-Low Mouse Mammary Tumor Cell Line, Manuscript in preparation, 2020

Dance-Barnes, S.T., Evans, E., Justice, B., Stewart, S., Jackson, R., Davis, Sutton-Hyman. Diallyl Disulfide Inhibitory Properties in a Novel p53; BRCA1-Deficient Claudin-Low Mouse Mammary Tumor Cell Line, Manuscript in preparation, 2020

Dance-Barnes, S.T.  and Frye, Michael. Designing and Implementing an Information Literacy Course in the Biological Sciences. Manuscript in preparation, 2020

Dance-Barnes, S.T., Kock, N.D., Moore, J.E., D’Agostino, R.B., McCoy,T.P., and Miller,M.S. Lung Tumor Promotion by Curcumin. Carcinogenesis. 2010 Oct;30(6):1016-23.

Dance-Barnes, S.T., Kock ND, Floyd HS, Moore JE, Mosley LJ, D’Agostino RB, Pettenati MJ and Miller MS. Effects of Mutant Human Ki-rasG12C Gene Dosage on Murine Lung Tumorigenesis and Signaling to its Downstream Effectors. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 231 (2008) 77-84.

Witschi, H., Espiritu, I., Dance, S.T., and Miller.: A mouse lung tumor model of tobacco smoke carcinogenesis. Toxicol. Sci. 68: 322-330, 2002

Floyd, H.S., Farnsworth, C.L., Kock, N.D., Mizesko, M.C., Little, J.L., Dance, S.T., Everitt, J., Tichelaar, J., Whitsett, J.A., and Miller, M.S.: Conditional expression of the mutant Ki-rasG12C allele results in formation of benign lung adenomas: development of novel mouse lung tumor model. Carcinogenesis 2005 26: 2196-2206.

Yu , Zhen, Loehr C.V., Fischer K.A, Louderback, M.A., Krueger, S.K., Dashwood, R.H., Kerkvliet, N.I., Pereira, C.B., Jennings-Gee, J., Dance, S.T., Miller, M.S., Bailey, G.S., and Williams, D.E. In Utero Exposure of Mice to Dibenzo[a,l]Pyrene Produces Lymphoma in the Offspring: Role of the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor. Cancer Research 2006 Jan 15;66(2):755-62.

Jennings-Gee,J., MooreJ.E., Dance,S.T., Kock, N.D., McCoy,T.P., Carr,J.J., and Miller,M.S. Strain-specific induction of murine lung tumors following in utero exposure to 3-methylcholanthrene. Mol Carcinog. 2006 Sep;45(9):676-84