Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology, January 2004
University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Dissertation: Effects of the microenvironment on Fas and Fas ligand interactions and their implications on UV-induced immune suppression.

Bachelor of Science, May 1996 Summa Cum Laude
Salem-Teikyo University, Salem, West Virginia.
Major: Molecular Biology/Biotechnology
Minors: Chemistry and European Studies

Related Experience

Assistant Research Scientist
2008-present
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Fort Pierce, Florida

Assistant Research Scientist
February 2007-2008
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida
Participate as a senior member of a multidisciplinary team aimed at the discovery of marine-derived therapeutics. Provide insight and expertise in cell biology to the team. Develop cell-based assays to determine the potential therapeutic effects of the library of marine compounds to fight cancer and other diseases. Determine the mechanism of action of compounds that exhibit potential as therapeutics. Provide research advice and supervision for technicians and students. Write competitive grant applications, publications, and patent applications. Present research at scientific meetings. Oversee equipment and laboratory.

Postdoctoral Investigator
May 2005-February 2007
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida
Develop cell-based assays to determine the potential therapeutic effects of our library of marine compounds to fight cancer and other diseases. Develop an assay to determine if any of our compounds could inhibit pMEK, a molecule that confers metastatic and anti-apoptotic abilities to cancer cells. Evaluated the compounds found to be inhibitors to determine their therapeutic potential. Establish new techniques for the high throughput screening of induction of apoptosis by our compounds, assays to determine the ability of our compounds to restore p53 activity and to increase the sensitivity to apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. Determine the mechanism of action of compounds that are known to kill pancreatic cancer cells. Provide research advice and supervision for technicians and students. Write competitive grant applications. Present research at scientific meetings.

Postdoctoral Fellow
April 2004-May 2005
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan
Conducted research in immunology and cancer biology studying the regulation of UV-induced apoptosis by the microphthalmia associated transcription factor in melanocytes. Determined that the levels of expression of MITF inversely regulate the ability of melanocytes to undergo apoptosis, which may be of importance in the development of melanoma. Isolated and maintained primary cultures of melanocytes from wild-type and transgenic animals. Performed western blotting to ascertain expression and function of proteins from the apoptotic machinery. Provided research advice and supervision for technicians and students. Wrote competitive grant applications. Presented research at scientific meetings.

Graduate Research Assistant
September 1997-2004
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center-Houston, Texas
University of California, Riverside, California
Conducted research in immunology and cancer biology studying the effects of Interleukin-10 on Fas and Fas ligand interactions on T cells to understand their role in the phenomenon of ultraviolet light-induced immune suppression. Assayed immunological functions of short term-cultured splenocytes from wild-type, knockout and transgenic animals. Performed magnetic separation of T cell subsets. Analyzed expression of cell surface markers through flow cytometry. Ascertained expression of Fas ligand through RT-PCR and intracellular staining, of IL-10 through ELISA assays and intracellular staining, and of other cytokines through protein arrays. Performed immunohistochemistry on epidermal sheets to analyze morphology of Langerhans cells and Dendritic Epidermal T cells after exposure to ultraviolet light, visualized by bright field or confocal fluorescence microscopy. Performed western blotting and immunoprecipitations to ascertain expression and function of proteins from the apoptotic machinery. Performed colorimetric analysis to determine cleavage of caspases and viability of cells. Assisted in relocating the laboratory from Houston to Riverside. Provided research advice and supervision for junior graduate students and undergraduates.Presented research at scientific meetings. Contributed as lecturer for a graduate seminar series.

Graduate Research Assistant
September 1996-August 1997
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico
Theoretical Biology and Biophysics Division; HIV Database
Determined the correlation of areas of homology among genetic sequences of different subtypes of HIV-1 and conserved epitopes of known immunogenicity. Analyzed genetic sequences to determine homology among sequences. Performed phylogenetic analysis of sequences. Read and summarized research articles on HIV. Updated sequence data bank. Assisted in creating alignments and the consensus sequence of the sequences in the database. Helped maintain the UNIX-based web page of the database. Co-authored a book chapter. Presented research at intradepartmental seminar.

Independent Researcher
May 1995- May 1996
Salem-Teikyo University, Salem, West Virginia
Isolated genomic DNA from plant leaves. Performed restriction enzyme digestion of DNA and Southern Blot analysis. Designed PCR primers. Transfected cells with plasmids. Performed sequence comparisons to determine the degree of homology of polyphenol oxidase from different plants. Presented research at a state scientific meeting, as well as intradepartmental seminars.

Student Fellow
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Summer Fellowship 1993
West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
Performed cell culture of HeLA cells labeled with tritiated thymidine. Exposed cells to the benzene metabolites phenol and 1,2,4 benzenetriol.Nicked DNA with Endonuclease III and performed sucrose gradient separation of DNA. Used a scintillation counter to determine formation of pyrimidine dimers. Presented research at the fellowship seminar.

Peer Reviewer

Ad hoc reviewer, American Cancer Society. 2002.
Molecular Carcinogenesis. 2000.

Patents

Guzmán, E.A.; Johnson, J.D. and Wright A.E. Use of Manzamine Compounds in Anti-cancer Therapeutic Regimens. Pending; filed February 19, 2007.

Wright A., Sennett S., Pomponi S., McCarthy P.,Guzmán E. Biologically Active Hexasterophorin Compounds and Methods of Use. Pending; filed June 29, 2007.

Publications

Esther A. Guzmán, John L. Langowski, Ariel De Guzman, H. Konrad Muller, Ameae M. Walker and Laurie B. Owen. S179D prolactin diminishes the effects of UV light on epidermal gamma delta T cells. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 280(1-2):6-12, 2008.

Lisa J. Ma, Esther A. Guzmán, Ariel DeGuzman, H. Konrad Muller, Ameae M. Walker and Laurie B. Owen. Local Cytokine Levels Associated with Delayed Type Hypersensitivity Responses: Modulation by Gender, Ovariectomy and Estrogen Replacement. Journal of Endocrinology 193(2):291-297, 2007.

Amy Wright, Julianne Cook Botelho, Esther Guzmán, Dedra Harmody, Patricia Linley, Peter J. McCarthy, Tara P. Pitts, Shirley A. Pomponi, andJohn K. Reed, 2007. Neopeltolide a Macrolide from a Lithistid Sponge of the Family Neopeltidae. Journal of Natural Products 70(3):412-416, 2007.

Tuchinda C, Lim HW, Strickland FM, Guzmán EA, Wong HK. Comparison of broadband UVB, narrowband UVB, broadband UVA and UVA1 on activation of apoptotic pathways in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine 23(1):2-9, 2007.

Lisa J. Ma, Esther A. Guzmán, Ariel DeGuzman, Barbara Walter, H. Konrad Muller, Ameae M. Walker and Laurie B. Owen Unexpected effects of UVB in IL-10 transgenic mice: normalization of contact hypersensitivity response. Archives of Dermatological Research 297:417-420, 2006.

Guzmán EA, Chen YH, Langowski JL, De Guzman A, Lo HL, Walter B, Muller HK, Walker AM, Owen LB. Abrogation of delayed type hypersensitivity response to Candida albicans produced by a molecular mimic of phosphorylated prolactin. Journal of Neuroimmunology 170(1-2):31-40, 2005.

A. Guzmán Durán, E.A. Guzmán, K.H. Pannell, and W.D. Lloyd. Synthesis of (E,Z)-5-Bromo-1,1,dimethosy-5-trimethylsilyl-4-pentene, an Upper Chain Allenic Prostaglandin Building Block. Synthetic Communications 33 (19), 3271-3283, 2003.

E. Guzmán, J.L. Langowski, and L.B. Owen-Schaub. Mad Dogs, Englishmen and Apoptosis: The Role of Cell Death In UV-Induced Skin Cancer (Review). Apoptosis 8 (4) 315-325, 2003.

C. Kuiken, B. Foley, E. Guzmán, B. Korber. Determinants of HIV-1 Protein Evolution. In The Evolution of HIV. pp. 432-468. Keith Crandall, Editor. John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, MD, USA 1999.

J.C. Blouin, E.A. Guzmán, and B.T. Foley. Global Variation in the HIV-1 V3 Region. In G. Myers et al, Eds. Human Retroviruses and AIDS 1996, pp III 77-201, Los Alamos, NM. Los Alamos National Laboratory: Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, 1996.

Presentations

Poster: E. Guzmán, J. Johnson, P. Linley, S. Gunasekera and A. Wright. Manzamine A Reduces the Metastatic Potential of AsPC-1 cells and Sensitizes them to TRAIL Induced Apoptosis. 100th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Los Angeles, CA 2007.

Poster: E. Guzmán, J. Johnson, C. Meyer, M. Carrier, T. Pitts, S. Gunasekera and A. Wright. Mechanisms of cytotoxicity Induced by Batzellines in pancreatic cancer cell lines. 9th Annual BioFlorida Statewide Conference, Gainesville, FL 2006.

Poster: E. Guzmán, C. Tuchinda, TJ Hornyak and FM Strickland. Regulation of UV-induced apoptosis in melanocytes by MITF. PanAmerican Society for Pigment Cell Research. Newport Beach, CA 2004.

Poster: E.A. Guzmán, L.L. Hill, and L.B. Owen-Schaub. IL-10 inhibits Fas/Fas Ligand mediated activation induced cell death in murine splenocytes. 27th La Jolla Immunology Conference, The Salk Institute, University of California San Diego; La Jolla, CA 2001.

Poster: E.A. Guzmán, L.L. Hill, and L.B. Owen-Schaub. IL-10 alters Fas/Fas Ligand induced cell death in activated lymphocytes. American Association of Immunologists and the Clinical Immunology Society Joint Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA 2000.

Poster: E.A. Guzmán and K. Cammarata. Polyphenol Oxidase Expression in Plant Genomic DNA. West Virginia Academy of Sciences. 1996. Winner of Poster Competition.