Ilana Chefetz Menaker, PhD

Education

  • BSc, Food Engineering and Biotechnology, Technion
  • PhD, Molecular Dermatology and Genetics, Technion
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Cancer Stem Cells, Yale University
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Necroptosis and Novel Therapeutics, University of Michigan

Research Interest

Dr. Chefetz Menaker’s primary research interest is in women’s health and ovarian cancer. She has worked on a rare dermatology disorder characterized by pathological calcification and has studied a rare subpopulation of ovarian cancer cells, ovarian Cancer Stem-like cells, and identified novel Aldehyde Dehydrogenase inhibitors that trigger cell programmed necrosis in ovarian cancer. Dr. Chefetz Menaker has also researched the mechanism of chemoresistance and the importance of NFkB and Aurora A in maintaining cancer stem cell capacity. She has also worked on novel inhibitors of Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, a novel targeted therapy for Cancer Stem cells. Currently, Dr.Chefetz Menaker is researching Premature Ovarian Insufficiency and Ovary-Brain axis.

Selected Publications

  • Carbone G, Nelson K, Baumgartner C, Bode AM, Takahashi A, Chefetz I. Endometriosis: Cell Death and Cell Signaling Machinery. Endocrinology. 2023 May 22:bqad057. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqad057. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 37216932
  • Baumgartner, C., Yadav, A. K., & Chefetz, I. AMPK-like proteins and their function in female reproduction and gynecologic cancer. Advances in Protein Chemistry and Structural Biology. 2023
  • Chesnokov, M.S.; Yadav, A.; Chefetz, I. Optimized Transcriptional Signature for Evaluation of MEK/ERK Pathway Baseline Activity and Long-Term Modulations in Ovarian Cancer. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23, 13365. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113365
  • Molina E, Hong L, and Chefetz I. NUAK Kinases: Brain-Ovary axis. Cells. 2021 Oct 15;10(10):2760. doi: 10.3390/cells10102760 PMID: 34685740
  • Chesnokov MS, Khan I, Park Y, Ezell J, Mehta G, Yousif A, Hong LJ, Buckanovich RJ, Takahashi A, Chefetz I. The MEK1/2 Pathway as a Therapeutic Target in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel). 2021 Mar 18;13(6):1369. doi: 10.3390/cancers13061369. PMID: 33803586.
  • Takahashi A, Yousif A, Hong L, Chefetz I. Premature ovarian insufficiency: pathogenesis and therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cell. J Mol Med (Berl). 2021 Feb 27. doi: 10.1007/s00109-021-02055-5. PMID: 33641066.
  • Chesnokov M., Khan I., Chefetz I. (2021) Induction and Detection of Necroptotic Cell Death in Mammalian Cell Culture. In: Alvero A.B., Mor G.G. (eds) Detection of Cell Death Mechanisms. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 2255. Humana, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1162-3_11.
  • Takahashi A, Hong L, Chefetz I. How to win the ovarian cancer stem cell battle: destroying the roots. Cancer Drug Resist 2020;4:1021-1033. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/cdr.2020.93.
  • Imran Khan, Abdelrahman Yousif, Mikhail Chesnokov, Linda Hong, and Ilana Chefetz. 2020. A decade of cell death studies: breathing new life into necroptosis. Pharmacology and Therapeutics. 2020 Oct 24;107717. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2020.107717. PMID 33164841.
  • Chefetz I, Grimley E, Yang K, Hong L, Vinogradova EV, Suciu R, Kovalenko I, Karnak D, Morgan CA, Chtcherbinine M, Buchman C, Huddle B, Barraza S, Morgan M, Bernstein KA, Yoon E, Lombard DB, Bild A, Mehta G, Romero I, Chiang CY, Landen C, Cravatt B, Hurley TD, Larsen SD, Buckanovich RJ. A Pan-ALDH1A Inhibitor Induces Necroptosis in Ovarian Cancer Stem-like Cells. Cell Rep. 2019 Mar 12;26(11):3061-3075

Click here to see the full list of Dr. Chefetz Menaker’s work.

Grants

  • Liz Tilberis Award (Chefetz-Menaker) 01/01/2018-12/31/2020
    Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation $450,000
    Drugs inducing necroptotic cell death as a new strategy for high grade ovarian cancer
  • Research Award (Chefetz-Menaker) 01/01/2017-12/31/2018
    Elsa Pardee Foundation $149,275
    Necroptosis: Molecular and metabolic aspects
  • WeRoc Ovarian Cancer Research Grant (Chefetz-Menaker) 04/01/2016-04/30/2018
    Foundation for Women’s Cancer $50,000
    Necroptosis in Ovarian Cancer with Gain of Function p53 Mutations
  • Pilot Award (Chefetz-Menaker) 04/01/2016-03/31/2018
    Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer $75,000
    Deciphering Molecular Mechanism of ALDH-inhibition Driven Necroptosis
  • Geri Fournier Ovarian Cancer Res. Grant (Chefetz-Menaker)
    07/01/2016-08/31/2017
    Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance $50,000
    Characterization of the effect of ALDH1 isoform selective inhibitors in combination with MEK1/2 in
    ovarian cancer
  • Ann Schreiber Mentored Investigator Award (Chefetz-Menaker) 03/01/2014-08/28/2015
    Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation $75,000.00
    A role for ALDH in the regulation of necroptosis in ovarian cancer.

Professional Involvement

  • American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)

Contact Dr. Ilana Chefetz Menaker

chefetz_i@mercer.edu