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
Type I but Not Type II Calreticulin Mutations Activate the IRE1a/XBP1 Pathway of the Unfolded Protein Response to Drive Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.
Ibarra J, Elbanna YA, Kurylowicz K, Ciboddo M, Greenbaum HS, Arellano NS, Rodriguez D, Evers M, Bock-Hughes A, Liu C, Smith Q, Lutze J, Baumeister J, Kalmer M, Olschok K, Nicholson B, Silva D, Maxwell L, Dowgielewicz J, Rumi E, Pietra D, Casetti IC, Catricala S, Koschmieder S, Gurbuxani S, Schneider RK, Oakes SA, Elf SE. Type I but Not Type II Calreticulin Mutations Activate the IRE1a/XBP1 Pathway of the Unfolded Protein Response to Drive Myeloproliferative Neoplasms. Blood Cancer Discov. 2022 07 06; 3(4):298-315.
PMID: 35405004
SARS-CoV-2 diverges from other betacoronaviruses in only partially activating the IRE1a/XBP1 ER stress pathway in human lung-derived cells.
Nguyen LC, Renner DM, Silva D, Yang D, Parenti N, Medina KM, Nicolaescu V, Gula H, Drayman N, Valdespino A, Mohamed A, Dann C, Wannemo K, Robinson-Mailman L, Gonzalez A, Stock L, Cao M, Qiao Z, Moellering RE, Tay S, Randall G, Beers MF, Rosner MR, Oakes SA, Weiss SR. SARS-CoV-2 diverges from other betacoronaviruses in only partially activating the IRE1a/XBP1 ER stress pathway in human lung-derived cells. bioRxiv. 2022 Jun 13.
PMID: 35821981
The E3 ligase TRIM1 ubiquitinates LRRK2 and controls its localization, degradation, and toxicity.
Stormo AED, Shavarebi F, FitzGibbon M, Earley EM, Ahrendt H, Lum LS, Verschueren E, Swaney DL, Skibinski G, Ravisankar A, van Haren J, Davis EJ, Johnson JR, Von Dollen J, Balen C, Porath J, Crosio C, Mirescu C, Iaccarino C, Dauer WT, Nichols RJ, Wittmann T, Cox TC, Finkbeiner S, Krogan NJ, Oakes SA, Hiniker A. The E3 ligase TRIM1 ubiquitinates LRRK2 and controls its localization, degradation, and toxicity. J Cell Biol. 2022 04 04; 221(4).
PMID: 35266954
Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through induction of the host ER stress and innate immune responses.
Nguyen LC, Yang D, Nicolaescu V, Best TJ, Gula H, Saxena D, Gabbard JD, Chen SN, Ohtsuki T, Friesen JB, Drayman N, Mohamed A, Dann C, Silva D, Robinson-Mailman L, Valdespino A, Stock L, Suárez E, Jones KA, Azizi SA, Demarco JK, Severson WE, Anderson CD, Millis JM, Dickinson BC, Tay S, Oakes SA, Pauli GF, Palmer KE. Cannabidiol inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through induction of the host ER stress and innate immune responses. Sci Adv. 2022 Feb 25; 8(8):eabi6110.
PMID: 35050692
Cannabidiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Promotes the Host Innate Immune Response.
Nguyen LC, Yang D, Nicolaescu V, Best TJ, Ohtsuki T, Chen SN, Friesen JB, Drayman N, Mohamed A, Dann C, Silva D, Gula H, Jones KA, Millis JM, Dickinson BC, Tay S, Oakes SA, Pauli GF, Meltzer DO, Randall G, Rosner MR. Cannabidiol Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Replication and Promotes the Host Innate Immune Response. bioRxiv. 2021 Mar 10.
PMID: 33758843
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Signaling in Cancer Cells.
Oakes SA. Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Signaling in Cancer Cells. Am J Pathol. 2020 05; 190(5):934-946.
PMID: 32112719
Parallel Signaling through IRE1a and PERK Regulates Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Growth and Survival.
Moore PC, Qi JY, Thamsen M, Ghosh R, Peng J, Gliedt MJ, Meza-Acevedo R, Warren RE, Hiniker A, Kim GE, Maly DJ, Backes BJ, Papa FR, Oakes SA. Parallel Signaling through IRE1a and PERK Regulates Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Growth and Survival. Cancer Res. 2019 12 15; 79(24):6190-6203.
PMID: 31672843
Elastase 3B mutation links to familial pancreatitis with diabetes and pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Moore PC, Cortez JT, Chamberlain CE, Alba D, Berger AC, Quandt Z, Chan A, Cheng MH, Bautista JL, Peng J, German MS, Anderson MS, Oakes SA. Elastase 3B mutation links to familial pancreatitis with diabetes and pancreatic adenocarcinoma. J Clin Invest. 2019 08 01; 129(11):4676-4681.
PMID: 31369399
A Medical Student Inquiry Behavior Assessment Tool: Development and Validity Evidence.
Brondfield S, Boscardin C, Strewler G, Hyland K, Oakes SA, Nishimura H, Crawford J, Hauer KE. A Medical Student Inquiry Behavior Assessment Tool: Development and Validity Evidence. Acad Med. 2019 04; 94(4):586-594.
PMID: 30431452
Bilateral Choroidal Metastases from Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.
Hiniker A, Oakes SA, Rao RC. Bilateral Choroidal Metastases from Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Ophthalmology. 2017 12; 124(12):1825.
PMID: 29157429
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