I'm Luzeena, postdoctoral fellow in the Elsässer laboratory at Karolinska Institutet. My research interests primarily lie in uncovering and characterizing novel microproteins in cancer, and understand how they regulate oncogenic mechanisms such as cell viability, ER stress, and drug resistance. At the Elsässer lab, I leverage their expertise in chemical and synthetic biology, and proteomic methods, together with my expertise in cancer and molecular biology, to develop innovative projects to study novel cancer microproteins.

During my doctoral training, I investigated how epigenetic regulators MLL/KMT2 histone methyltransferases (HMT) mediated differential gene expression in pancreatic cancer, particularly in the context of mechanisms driving drug resistance. KMT2s are mutated in about 15% of pancreatic cancer patients, making them a clinically significant mutation. We discovered that HMT KMT2D in particular displayed tumour-suppressive activity in PDAC. Through my doctoral thesis, we further demonstrated that loss of KMT2D altered response to chemotherapeutic agents used for PDAC treatment, in particular, response to 5-fluorouracil. 

My undergraduate research involved investigating how gestational exposure to endocrine disruptors (Bisphenol-A, Methylparaben) led to diseases and disorders in adult life. My focus was on elucidating the sex-specific differences in the neurological outcomes of endocrine disruption, such as memory, learning, locomotion, and anxiety, using animal models like zebrafish, rats and mice. 

Having lived, studied, and worked in multiple countries, I have had the privilege to experience different cultures, ethnicities, and diverse workspaces. I believe these experiences have shaped me to be an international scientist capable of adapting to and thriving in an increasingly global scientific community.