College of Medicine
Zajac-Kaye Lab
Led by Maria Zajac-Kaye · Physiology and Aging
What we study
The Zajac-Kaye Lab studies how the enzyme thymidylate synthase (TS), when overproduced, helps drive cancer, using mouse models of pancreatic, neuroendocrine and lung tumors. It also tests targeted drugs and siRNA delivery, and works to make TS a better cancer biomarker and drug target.
What working here is like
- Wet lab
- Mice
- Coding helps
- Projects
- 5
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Development of an animal model to study the effect of thymidylate synthase expression on the biology of exocrine pancreatic cancer
Creating mouse models to study how high levels of TS affect pancreatic cancer growth.
Cooperation of CDKN2A/p16 gene inactivation and thymidylate synthase overexpression in tumor development
Examining how TS and the CDKN2A/p16 gene work together to promote tumor growth.
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Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) gene inactivation and thymidylate synthase overexpression in the development of islet…
Studying how TS and MEN1 gene changes contribute to islet cell carcinoma.
Targeted drugs and siRNA delivery for pancreatic and lung cancer in an in vitro and in vivo animal models
Testing new treatments for pancreatic and lung cancer using targeted drugs and siRNA in lab and animal studies.
TYMS Induces Acceleration of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma in the hTS/KRAS^(G12D) Mouse Model
The study looks at how the enzyme TYMS affects early pancreatic cancer development in a genetically engineered mouse that carries a KRAS mutation. Students will sacrifice mice monthly up to six months, stain pancreas tissue, and count pre‑cancer lesions to see if TYMS levels correlate with tumor growth.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 402
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- CerS2 Is a Druggable Target in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
2026 · Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
Finds a new drug that boosts a cancer-fighting enzyme in breast tumors.
- Protocol for region-specific tumor dissection and protein extraction from a pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor mouse model
2026 · STAR Protocols
Describes how to extract proteins from mouse tumors to study cancer growth.
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- Integrated proteomic analysis identifies TYMS-dependent AMPK-mTOR signaling in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors
2025 · iScience
Shows how a gene linked to cancer metabolism affects energy pathways in tumors.
- PROTAC-Mediated Dual Degradation of BCL-xL and BCL-2 Is a Highly Effective Therapeutic Strategy in Small-Cell Lung Cancer
2024 · Cells
Develops a new way to target cancer cells without harming blood cells.
- TYMS promotes genomic instability and tumor progression in Ink4a/Arf null background
2023 · Oncogene
Finds that a gene linked to cancer growth works faster with another common cancer mutation.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Maria Zajac-Kaye hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.