Scott Oakes’s laboratory studies how mammalian cells commit “suicide” in response to various forms of damage and what goes wrong with this process in cancer and other diseases. In particular, they focus on a type of stress that occurs when the cell’s protein folding factory—an organelle called the endoplasmic reticulum—is overwhelmed and protein quality control fails. He is actively engaged in developing drugs to control cell fate under these conditions, which have potential to benefit patients with diseases from cancer to neurodegeneration.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Postdoctoral Scholar - Biochemistry & Cell Biology
2005
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA
Residency - Pathology
2000
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Farmington, CT
M.D. - Medicine
1998
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, M.D.
Research Scholar - Immunology
1996
Elmira College
Elmira, NY
B.A. - Biochemistry
1993
Dissecting tumor transcriptional heterogeneity from single-cell RNA-seq data by generalized binary covariance decomposition.
Dissecting tumor transcriptional heterogeneity from single-cell RNA-seq data by generalized binary covariance decomposition. Nat Genet. 2025 Jan; 57(1):263-273.
PMID: 39747597
Inflammation-Induced Claudin-2 Upregulation Limits Pancreatitis Progression by Enhancing Tight Junction-Controlled Pancreatic Ductal Transport.
Inflammation-Induced Claudin-2 Upregulation Limits Pancreatitis Progression by Enhancing Tight Junction-Controlled Pancreatic Ductal Transport. bioRxiv. 2024 Nov 13.
PMID: 39605652
Direct inhibition of tumor hypoxia response with synthetic transcriptional repressors.
Direct inhibition of tumor hypoxia response with synthetic transcriptional repressors. Nat Chem Biol. 2025 Feb; 21(2):247-255.
PMID: 39215099
Inhibition of the eukaryotic initiation factor-2a kinase PERK decreases risk of autoimmune diabetes in mice.
Inhibition of the eukaryotic initiation factor-2a kinase PERK decreases risk of autoimmune diabetes in mice. J Clin Invest. 2024 Jun 18; 134(16).
PMID: 38889047
Inhibition of the Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2-a Kinase PERK Decreases Risk of Autoimmune Diabetes in Mice.
Inhibition of the Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2-a Kinase PERK Decreases Risk of Autoimmune Diabetes in Mice. bioRxiv. 2024 Jun 03.
PMID: 38895427
Unfolding emergency calls stress granules to the ER.
Unfolding emergency calls stress granules to the ER. Nat Cell Biol. 2024 Jun; 26(6):845-846.
PMID: 38822214
Dissecting tumor transcriptional heterogeneity from single-cell RNA-seq data by generalized binary covariance decomposition.
Dissecting tumor transcriptional heterogeneity from single-cell RNA-seq data by generalized binary covariance decomposition. bioRxiv. 2024 May 26.
PMID: 37645713
The Integrated Stress Response in Pancreatic Development, Tissue Homeostasis, and Cancer.
The Integrated Stress Response in Pancreatic Development, Tissue Homeostasis, and Cancer. Gastroenterology. 2024 Dec; 167(7):1292-1306.
PMID: 38768690
Stress and human health in diabetes: A report from the 19th Chicago Biomedical Consortium symposium.
Stress and human health in diabetes: A report from the 19th Chicago Biomedical Consortium symposium. J Clin Transl Sci. 2023; 7(1):e263.
PMID: 38229904
DISSECTING TUMOR TRANSCRIPTIONAL HETEROGENEITY FROM SINGLE-CELL RNA-SEQ DATA BY GENERALIZED BINARY COVARIANCE DECOMPOSITION.
DISSECTING TUMOR TRANSCRIPTIONAL HETEROGENEITY FROM SINGLE-CELL RNA-SEQ DATA BY GENERALIZED BINARY COVARIANCE DECOMPOSITION. bioRxiv. 2023 Aug 17.
PMID: 37645713
Investigator Award
Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF)
2023
Outstanding Investigator Award
American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP)
2019
Stein Innovation Award
Research to Prevent Blindness , Inc.
2018
Outstanding Mentor Award
University of California San Francisco
2017
Neuroendocrine Tumor Award
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
2015 - 2017
Scholar-Innovator Award
Harrington Discovery Institute
2013 - 2015
Elected Member
American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI)
2013
Research Scholar Award
American Cancer Society
2012 - 2015
Early Career Physician Scientist Award
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
2007 - 2011
Junior Investigator Award
American Cancer Society
2006 - 2007
Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award (K08)
NIAMS, NIH
2003 - 2008
Research Scholar
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
1995 - 1996
Valedictorian
Elmira College
1993