Speakers

Saulius Å umanas
(Assistant Professor, Division of Developmental Biology, Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, Cincinnati Children`s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine)

Education: 1995-2000 University of Minnesota, Department of Biochemistry, Minneapolis / St. Paul, MN Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, November 30, 2000; Dissertation: Xenopus frizzled-7 is required for vertebrate axis specification Advisor: Stephen C. Ekker
1991-1995 Vilnius University, Department of Chemistry, Vilnius, Lithuania, B.S. in Biochemistry, June 1995

Professional Experience: 2007-present Assistant Professor, Cincinnati Children`s Hospital Medical Center / University of Cincinnati, Division of Developmental Biology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
2002-2007 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Los Angeles, CA. Principal investigator: Shuo Lin
2001-2002 Scientist, Discovery Genomics, Inc., Minneapolis, MN. CSO: Perry B. Hacket
2000-2001 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, Minneapolis, MN. Principal investigator: Stephen C. Ekker
1995-2000 Research Assistant, University of Minnesota, Department of Biochemistry, Minneapolis, MN. Principal investigator: Stephen C. Ekker
1993-1995 Undergraduate Researcher, Vilnius University, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Vilnius, Lithuania. Advisor: Linas Padegimas

Other Experience: Served as a reviewer for the following journals: Development; PLOS One; Stem Cells; Developmental Dynamics; Zebrafish; Leukemia; BMC Developmental Biology; Trends in Biotechnology; Mechanisms of Development; Development, Genes and Evolution; Journal for Neuroscience Research. Grant reviewer for American Heart Association.

Professional Affiliations: American Heart Association
Society for Developmental Biology
North American Vascular Biology Organization
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Honours and Awards: Research Innovation / Pilot Award, CCHMC 2012
American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant (declined) 2011
Perinatal Institute Pilot Research Award, CCHMC 2010
American Heart Association Beginning Grant-In-Aid 2009
Children`s Research Foundation Trustee Award 2009
University of Cincinnati Faculty Research Grant 2009
March of Dimes Basil O`Connor Starter Scholar Research Award 2009
UCLA Scholars in Oncologic Molecular Imaging Training Award 2006
Nomination for the Chancellor`s Award for Postdoctoral Research 2006
Vascular Biology Training Grant, UCLA 2004
Outstanding Student Oral Presentation 1999 39th Annual Midwest Developmental Biology Meeting, Urbana-Champaign, IL

Patents:U.S. Patent No. 6,867,349 B2. "Inhibition of Gene Expression Using Polynucleotide Analogues". Inventors: S.C. Ekker, A. Nasevicius, H. Kim, S. Sumanas. Granted 03/15/05

Publications: 1. Rost, M.S., Sumanas, S. (2014). Hyaluronic Acid Receptor Stabilin-2 Regulates Erk Phosphorylation And Arterial-Venous Differentiation In Zebrafish. PLOS One 9, e88614.
2. Kohli, V., Schumacher, J.A., Palencia-Desai, S., Rehn, K., Sumanas, S. (2013). Arterial and venous progenitors of the major axial vessels originate at distinct locations. Dev Cell 25, 196-206.
3. Suetsugu-Maki, R., Maki, N., Nakamura, K., Sumanas, S., Zhu, J., Del Rio-Tsonis, K., Tsonis, P.A. (2012). Lens regeneration in axolotl: new evidence of developmental plasticity. BMC Biol 10, 103.
4. Glenn, N.O., McKane, M., Kohli, V., Wen, K.-K., Rubenstein, P.A., Bartman, T., Sumanas, S. (2012). The W-Loop of Alpha-Cardiac Actin Is Critical for Heart Function and Endocardial Cushion Morphogenesis in Zebrafish. Mol Cell Biol 32, 3527-3540.
5. Tadjuidje, E., Wang, T.S., Pandey, R.N., Sumanas, S., Lang, R.A., Hegde, R.S. (2012) The EYA Tyrosine Phosphatase promotes angiogenesis and is inhibited by Benzbromarone. PLOS One 7, e34806.
6. Wong, K.S., Rehn, K., Palencia-Desai, S., Kohli, V., Hunter, W., Uhl, J.D., Rost, M.S., Sumanas, S. (2012). Hedgehog Signaling Is Required For Differentiation Of Endocardial Progenitors In Zebrafish. Dev Biol 361, 377-391.
7. Palencia-Desai, S., Kohli, V., Kang, J., Chi, N.C., Black, B.L., Sumanas, S. (2011) Vascular endothelial and endocardial progenitors differentiate as cardiomyocytes in the absence of Etsrp/Etv2 function. Development 138, 4721-4732.
8. Kohli, V., Proulx, K., Sumanas, S. (2011) Single cell fate mapping in zebrafish. J Vis Exp 56, e3172.
9. Proulx, K., Wong, K.S., Balciunas, D., Sumanas, S. (2011). Zebrafish Enhancer Trap Line Recapitulates Embryonic aquaporin 1a Expression Pattern In Vascular Endothelial Cells. Int J Dev Biol 55, 613-618.
10. Proulx, K., Lu, A., Sumanas, S. (2010). Cranial Vasculature in Zebrafish Forms By Angioblast Cluster-Derived Angiogenesis. Dev Biol 348, 34-46.
11. Wong, K.S., Proulx, K., Rost, M.S., Sumanas, S. (2009). Identification Of Vasculature-Specific Genes By Microarray Analysis Of Etsrp/Etv2 Overexpressing Zebrafish Embryos. Dev Dyn 238, 1836-1850.
12. Sumanas, S., Gomez, G., Zhao, Y., Park, C., Choi, K., Lin, S. (2008). Interplay between Etsrp/ER71, scl and alk8 signaling controls endothelial and myeloid cell formation. Blood 111, 4500-4510.
13. Sumanas, S., Lin, S. (2006). Ets1-related protein is a key regulator of vasculogenesis in zebrafish. PLOS Biol 4, e10.
14. Kim, H.J1., Sumanas, S1., Palencia-Desai, S., Dong, Y., Chen, J.-N., Lin, S. (2006). Genetic analysis of early endocrine pancreas formation in zebrafish. Mol Endocrinol 20, 194-203.
15. Sumanas, S., Jorniak, T., Lin, S. (2005). Identification of novel vascular endothelial-specific genes by the microarray analysis of the zebrafish cloche mutants. Blood 106, 534-541.
16. Sumanas, S., Zhang, B., Dai, R., Lin, S. (2005). 15-zinc finger protein Bloody Fingers is required for zebrafish morphogenetic movements during neurulation. Dev Biol 283, 85-96.
17. Kim, H.J., Schleiffarth, J.R., Jessurun, J., Sumanas, S., Petryk, A., Lin, S., Ekker, S.C. (2005). Wnt5 Signaling in Vertebrate Pancreas Development. BMC Biol 3, 23.
18. Sumanas, S., Lin, S. (2004). Zebrafish as a model system for drug target screening and validation. Drug Disc Today: Targets 3, 89-96.
19. Sumanas, S., Larson, J., Bever, M.M. (2003). Zebrafish chaperone protein GP96 is involved in otolith formation during ear development. Dev Biol 261, 443-455.
20. Sumanas, S., Larson, J. (2002). Morpholino phosphorodiamidate oligonucleotides in zebrafish: a recipe for functional genomics? Brief Funct Genomic Proteomic 1, 239-256.
21. Sumanas, S., Kim, H.J., Hermanson, S., and Ekker, S.C. (2002). Lateral line, nervous system, and maternal expression of Frizzled7a during zebrafish embryogenesis. Mech Dev 115, 107-111.
22. Sumanas, S., Kim, H.J., Hermanson, S. and Ekker, S.C. (2001). Zebrafish frizzled-2 morphant displays defects in body axis elongation. Genesis 30, 114-118.
23. Sumanas, S., and Ekker, S.C. (2001). Xenopus frizzled-7 morphant displays defects in dorso-ventral patterning and convergent extension movements during gastrulation. Genesis 30, 119-122.
24. Sumanas, S., and Ekker, S.C. (2001). Xenopus frizzled-5: a frizzled family member expressed exclusively in the neural retina of the developing eye. Mech Dev 103, 133-136.
25. Sumanas, S., Strege, P., Heasman, J., and Ekker, S.C. (2000). The putative Wnt receptor Xenopus frizzled-7 functions upstream of beta-catenin in vertebrate dorso-ventral mesoderm patterning. Development 127, 1981-1990.
26. Nasevicius, A., Hyatt, T., Kim, H., Guttman, J., Walsh, E., Sumanas, S., Wang, Y. and Ekker, S. C. (1998). Evidence for a frizzled-mediated wnt pathway required for zebrafish dorsal mesoderm formation. Development 125, 4283-4292.