Our Faculty
David Zuzga, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Contact Information
Office: Holroyd 227
Phone: 215.991.3773
Email: zuzga@lasalle.edu
Profile
Dr. Zuzga received his bachelor’s degree in Biopsychology from Vassar College. Following his undergraduate degree, he worked in a behavioral pharmacology lab at the Harvard Medical School and at the CNS Gene Therapy Center at Thomas Jefferson University. His graduate work at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson focused on the regulation of cytoskeletal and membrane dynamics underlying matrix degradation and metastasis in colon cancer cells. Dr. Zuzga joined Saint Joseph’s University in 2008 as a visiting Assistant Professor/Post-Doctoral Teaching Fellow, and in 2010 accepted a position as a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Pace University. In 2012, he co-founded a start-up molecular diagnostics biotechnology company, BioDetego LLC, with a focus on oncology, and joined La Salle University as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Biology Department.
Dr. Zuzga’s research focuses on cytoskeletal dynamics underlying fundamental cellular processes including cell migration, adhesion and membrane trafficking, and pathologic processes such as cancer metastasis and host-pathogen interactions. His studies are primarily focused on elucidating the functional roles of two actin-binding proteins, myosin 1e (Myo1e) and the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP).
Areas of Expertise
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Cytoskeletal dynamics
- Cancer metastasis
Education
- B.A. Vassar College, 1997 (Biopsychology)
- Ph.D. Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, 1998 (Genetics)
Teaching
- Genetics
- Cell and Molecular Biology
- Cancer Biology
Publications
Nelson
I#,
Pitari GM, Zuzga, DS (in
preparation) Myo1e expression and distribution within normal and tumor
colorectal tissue.
Zuzga
DS, Cannon K#, Hamilton, L#, Hughes, M#, Cannarsa G#, Ostap M,
King-Smith C (in preparation) Myo1e
regulates adhesion and migration in B16F1 melanoma cells.
Zuzga
DS, Pelta-Heller J,
Li P, Bombonati A, Waldman SA, Pitari GM (2011) Phosphorylation of
vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein ser239 suppresses filopodia and
invadopodia in colon cancer. International Journal of Cancer doi:
10.1002/ijc.26257
Lubbe
WJ*, Zuzga DS*, Berger A, Zhou ZY, Schulz S, Waldman SA, Pitari GM
(2009) Guanylyl Cyclase C (GCC) inhibits colon cancer cell metastasis through
matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9). Cancer Research 69 (8)
3529-3536.
Zuzga
D, Gibbons AV, Li P,
Lubbe WJ, Chervoneva I, Pitari GM (2008) Overexpression of matrix
metalloproteinase 9 in tumor epithelial cells correlates with colorectal cancer
metastasis. Clinical and Translational Science 1 (2), 163-167.
# student author, * primary authors with
equal contribution
Books
Zuzga
D & Zuzga J
(2009) "Open Pharynx: A Fantasia on the Development of Human Gills” Predictions
Ed. Cara Benson. Philadelphia: Chain Links, 67-82.
Presentations
New
Jersey Technology Council, Regional Commercialization Conference
Novel
Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment (December, 2011)
Pa BIO
Summit On Life Science Enterprise Creation
Novel
Biomarkers for Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment (December, 2011)
Related Professional Experience
- Co-Founder
BioDetego, LLC (2012-current)
- National
Academies Education Fellow in the Life Sciences (2012-2013)
- Editorial
Board, Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education (2011-current)
