Joanna E. Burdette
Professor, College of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences
Associate Dean for Research, College of Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Sciences
Co-Lead Cancer Biology Program, UI Cancer Center
Co-Lead K12 IRACDA Postdoctoral Training, University of Illinois Chicago
Contact
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900 S. Ashland Ave Room 3202, Chicago, IL
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About
Overview:
I am currently the Edward and Josephine Mika Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education in the College of Pharmacy at UIC. I am co-director of the NIH K12 IRACDA postdoc training grant. I serve as the co-lead for the Cancer Biology Program in the UI Cancer Center. My lab helped to validate that the major cell type giving rise to high grade serous cancer is the fallopian tube and we have also developed murine fallopian tube (or oviductal) cancer models that we use to study key pathways in tumor initiation and metastasis. I collaborate to study natural products as therapeutic leads in ovarian cancer models. I am strongly committed to training and received certification in the National Research Mentoring Network mentoring curriculum and its facilitation.
Research Interests:
ovarian cancer
reproductive biology of the fallopian tube
natural products drug discovery
progesterone biology
Teaching and Supervision
Mentored Research (GEMS 599), 8/25/2025 – 12/5/2025
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 8/25/2025 – 12/5/2025
Research Presentation (PSCI 502), 8/25/2025 – 12/5/2025
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 6/16/2025 – 8/8/2025
Mentored Research (GEMS 599), 1/13/2025 – 5/2/2025
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 1/13/2025 – 5/2/2025
Pathobiology of Cancer (PATH 511), 1/13/2025 – 5/2/2025
Research Presentation (PSCI 502), 8/26/2024 – 12/6/2024
PSCI Ph.D. Thesis Research (PSCI 599), 8/26/2024 – 12/6/2024
Selected Grants
Undergraduate Cancer Research Exploration and Training Experience (U-CREATE), American Cancer Society., 1/1/2026 - 12/31/2028, Obligated Amount: $132000; Anticipated Amount: $132000
Discovery Of Anticancer Agents Of Diverse Natural Origin, Ohio State University., 9/1/2025 - 8/31/2030, Obligated Amount: $186082; Anticipated Amount: $186082
Pharmacological Potential of Combined Translation and Autophagy Inhibition in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, National Institutes of Health (National Institute of General Medical Sciences)., 8/1/2024 - 7/31/2026, Obligated Amount: $241944; Anticipated Amount: $241944
Dynamic Interactions of the Ovarian-Fallopian Axis in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer, National Institutes of Health (National Cancer Institute)., 7/10/2024 - 6/30/2029, Obligated Amount: $1215025; Anticipated Amount: $2967930
Tiny proteins in vaginal lavage for early detection of high grade serous ovarian cancer, Foundation for Women's Cancer., 4/1/2023 - 11/30/2024, Obligated Amount: $50000; Anticipated Amount: $50000
Development of a small-molecule Beclin1-ATG14L protein-protein interaction inhibitor for cancer therapy, American Cancer Society., 7/1/2022 - 12/31/2023, Obligated Amount: $198000; Anticipated Amount: $792000
Ovarian and Fallopian Tube Crosstalk via Extracellular Vesicles Promotes the Origin of Ovarian Cancer and the Precancerous Landscape, University of Kansas (University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc.)., 7/1/2022 - 6/30/2024, Obligated Amount: $50000; Anticipated Amount: $50000
Chicago Center for Health and Environment (CACHET), University of Chicago., 6/15/2022 - 3/31/2026, Obligated Amount: $3402831; Anticipated Amount: $3402831
Selected Publications
Al-Qiam, ReemaA, Rangel-Grimaldo, Manuel, Chauvin, Isabel M, Kaweesa, Elizabeth N, Khin, Manead, Raja, Huzefa A, Orjala, Jimmy, Burdette, Joanna E, Pearce, Cedric J, Oberlies, Nicholas H. (2025). Beyond Monomers: Discovery of Bioactive Naphthoquinone Heterodimers and Perenniporides from Pyrenochaetopsis Species. Journal of Natural Products, 88, (12), 2968-2977. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c01209.
Kaweesa, Elizabeth N, Wilson, Tyler A, Bazioli, Jaqueline M, Pan, Li, Fuchs, A Douglas Kinghornb James R, Burdette, Joanna E. (2025). Didesmethylrocaglamide cytotoxic activity in high grade serous ovarian cancer in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models. Phytochemistry Letters, 69, 103664. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2025.103664.
Kaweesa, Elizabeth N, Wilson, Tyler A, Bazioli, Jaqueline M, Pan, Li, Kinghorn, A Douglas, Fuchs, James R, Burdette, Joanna E. (2025). Didesmethylrocaglamide Cytotoxic Activity in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer in Preclinical In Vitro and In Vivo Models. Phytochemistry Letters, 69, 103541. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2025.103541.
Terrasson, Korydwen, Addo, Ermias Mekuria, Khin, Manead, Ninh, Tran Ngoc, Pandey, Pankaj, Chittiboyina, Amar G, Ferreira, Daneel, Rakotondraibe, Harinantenaina L, Burdette, Joanna E, Soejarto, Djaja D, Kinghorn, A Douglas. (2025). Cytotoxic Lignan and Flavonoid Derivatives from the Branches of Beilschmiedia yunnanensis. Journal of Natural Products, 88, (9), 2158-2170. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.5c00778.
Im, Joohyun, Salvi, Amrita, Wu, Yi-Chien, Lantvit, Dan, Seung-Young Lee, Steve, Vanderhyden, Barbara, Burdette, Joanna. (2025). Abstract A011: PAX8-dependent signaling networks as drivers of progression and immune evasion in high grade serous ovarian cancer. Cancer Research, 85, (18_Supplement), a011-a011. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.ovarian25-a011.
Vaval Taylor, Diandra M, Guerrero, Jason, Schoenhardt, Katherine, Sanchez, Laura M, Burdette, Joanna E. (2025). Abstract B032: Investigating the role of progesterone in the metastasis of high-grade serous ovarian cancer. Cancer Research, 85, (18_Supplement), b032-b032. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.ovarian25-b032.
Sipes, Jared, Zha, Didi, Rayamajhi, Sagar, Bantis, Leonidas E, Madan, Rashna, Mitra, Amrita, Puri, Rajni V, Rahman, Mohammod Mahmudur, Ahmmed, Foyez, Pathak, Harsh B, Russo, Angela, Sardiu, Mihaela, Isenberg, Brett C, Cain, Brian P, Coppeta, Jonathan, Galhenage, Pamoda M, Pathania, Shailja, David, Shannon MacLaughlan, Burdette, Joanna E, Godwin, Andrew K. (2025). Defining the Ovarian Cancer Precancerous Landscape through Modeling Fallopian Tube Epithelium Reprogramming Driven by Extracellular Vesicles. Cancer Research Communications, 5, (8), 1266-1281. doi:10.1158/2767-9764.crc-25-0064.
Smith, Emily R, Al-Smadi, Dua H, Dai, Yitao, Khin, Manead, Burdette, Joanna E, Duggan, Brendan M, La Clair, James J, Eustáquio, Alessandra S, Burkart, Michael D. (2025). Engineering regiospecific methylation of the pladienolides. RSC Chemical Biology, 6, (7), 1126-1134. doi:10.1039/d5cb00068h.
Ren, Yulin, Gallucci, Judith C, Yu, Jianhua, Burdette, Joanna E, Fuchs, James R, Kinghorn, A Douglas. (2025). Antitumor and immunomodulatory activities of diphyllin and its derivatives. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 124, 118197. doi:10.1016/j.bmc.2025.118197.