Year		Degree		Institution
		Ph.D.		London University, UK

Period		Description		Organization
2004 - Present		Research Professor, Dept. of Pediatrics,		Children's Memorial Research Center
1999 - 2004		Associate Research Scientist, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center member		Dept. of Anatomy and Cell Biology, The University of Iowa
1994 - 1997		Research Scientist, Dept of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology		Dept. of Pediatrics, St. Louis University
1992 - 1994		Research Associate, Dept. of Biology		Washington University, St. Louis

Mammary glands undergo structural remodeling and biochemical changes from embryogenesis through aging in females. This process is tightly regulated by hormones and involves a complex cooperation of a variety of genes participating in cell division, proliferation, matrix degradation and remodeling. Like mammary epithelial cells breast cancer tumors require estrogen for continued growth. Anti-estrogen therapy alone or in combination with other drugs, has long been a common procedure for breast cancer treatment and prophylaxis. The clinical efficacy of an anti-estrogen tamoxifen (TAM) has been attributed to growth arrest and induction of apoptosis in breast cancer cells, but the ability of TAM as a potential modulator of tumor suppressor genes has never been reported.
Maspin, a serine protease inhibitor (serpin), is highly expressed in normal mammary and reproductive organs, and is believed to play a critical role in mammary gland development. Maspin is present in high concentrations in normal mammary epithelial (and myoepithelial) cells, but its expression is down-regulated in primary breast cancer and lost in metastatic cells. Maspin promoter contains hormone response element and AP1 sites and maspin induction following androgen ablation and/or radical prostectomy in prostate cancer have been reported. Thus, we hypothesized that that tamoxifen’s anti-tumor action could also be mediated, at least in part, through its ability to induce the tumor suppressor gene maspin. We are currently studying the effect of TAM (over various time period) on maspin expression in normal mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cell lines and verifying our observations in patients tissue.
Recent studies have also indicated the importance of sex hormones and gender in autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. Regulation of immune response, matrix metalloproteinases and cytokine system by hormones could have a direct effect on cartilage and synovial tissue. Thus, we hypothesized that sex hormones could exert direct and indirect effects on cartilage synthesis and degradation and thus modulate the course of the disease. Studies in our lab are directed to answer such questions.

Title	Funding Source	Period	Amount	Duties
Biological function(s) of maspin	R01 NIH/National Cancer Institute	2004 - 2009	$1,278.000	Co-PI
Role of secreted maspin	Eisenberg Scholarship, CMRC	2004 - 2005	$6,000	PI
Tamoxifen regulation of tumor suppressor gene maspin	Breast Cancer SPORE, R.H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University	2003 - 2004	$50,000	PI
Nitric oxide regulation of maspin in mammary epithelium under normal and neoplastic conditions	American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant, University of Iowa	2000 - 2001	$20,000	PI
Role of sex hormones in cartilage degradation associated with rheumatoid arthritis	Howard Hughes Medical Institute Pilot Grant	2000 - 2001	$50,000	PI
Gender specific regulation of synoviocytes function by sex hormones.	University of Iowa College of Medicine Pilot Grant	2000 - 2001	$15,000	PI

Mary J.C. Hendrix Research Laboratory

Khalkhali-Ellis Z, Christian AL, Kirschmann DA, Edwards EM, Rezaie-Thompson, M, Vasef, MA, Gruman, LM, Seftor, REB, Norwood, LE, Hendrix MJC. (January, 2004). Regulating the tumor suppressor gene maspin expression in normal mammary epithelia and breast cancer cells: a potential mechanism for tamoxifen’s anti-tumor properties.. Clinical Cancer Research: 10:449-454.

Khalkhali-Ellis Z, and Hendrix MJC. (May, 2003). Nitric oxide regulation of maspin in normal mammary epithelial and breast carcinoma.. American J. of Pathology: 162:1411-1418.

Odero V, Khalkhali-Ellis Z, Chunthapong J, Amir, S, Seftor EA, and Hendrix MJC. (2003). Maspin regulates different signalling pathways for motility and adhesion in breast cancer cells. Cancer Biology and Therapy: 2:67-72.

Odero V, Khalkhali-Ellis Z, Schneider GB, Seftor EA, Seftor REB, Koland JG and Hendrix MJC. (2002). Maspin phosphorylation is involved in the regulation of human breast cancer cell motility. Biochem Biophys Res. Communications: 295:800-805.

Khalkhali-Ellis Z, Handa RJ, Price Jr. RH and Hendrix MJC (2002). Androgen receptors in synoviocytes: androgen regulation of IL-1 induced IL-6 production.. J. Rheumatology: 29:1843-1845.

Tobacmann J, Khalkhali-Ellis Z (2001). Steroid sulfatase expression in mammary myoepithelial cells and its regulation by steroid hormones. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol: 81:65-68.

Khalkhali-Ellis Z, Seftor EA, Handa RJ, Price Jr. RH, Nieva DRC, Kirschmann DA, Baragi VM, Sharma, RV, Bhalla RC, Moore TL and Hendrix MJC. (2000). Estrogen and progesterone regulation of human fibroblast-like synoviocytes in vitro: implications in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatology: 27:1622-1631.

Khalkhali-Ellis Z, Bulla GA, Schlesinger L , Kirschmann DA, Moore TL and Hendrix MJC (1999). C1q containing immune complexes purified from sera of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients mediate IL-8 production by human synoviocytes. J Immunology: 163:4612-4620.

2004 - Eisenberg Scholar, Children’s Memorial Research Institute , “Role of secreted maspin"

2000 - Howard Hughes Investigator Research Award

2000 - University of Iowa Florence Lindsay Young Investigator Award

2001 - Present		Grant Review services: Department of Defense Study Section on Prostate Cancer, Department of Defense Study Section on breast Cancer, NIH/NCI Special Emphasis Panel on Cancer Metastasis to Bone
1997 - Present		Journal Reviewer (Intermittent), Cancer Research, American Journal of Pathology, Journal of Clinical Cancer Research, Clinical and Experimental Metastasis, Arthritis and Rheumatism, Journal of Rheumatology, Journal of Cellular Biology, Oncogene
2002 - 2002		Grant review (Ad hoc), British Research Council

Last Updated: Sep 8 2004 2:13PM