Autor/-in: Audrey Minden

Dr. Audrey Minden is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Biology in the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. She received her B. A. from Colorado College and her Ph. D. from the University of Illinois, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) under the guidance of Dr. Michael Karin. Dr. Minden’s research explores how signaling pathways regulate cell growth and how such pathways can be improperly activated in cancer cells. Her lab focuses on small GTP-binding proteins (such as Cdc42, Rac, and Rho) and their downstream effectors, particularly the p21-activated kinases (Paks). A major focus of her work is studying the roles of these signaling proteins in breast cancer cells, and recent work from her lab has revealed that targeting these protein kinases may be promising for reducing the growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells. In addition to research, Dr. Minden is committed to teaching and mentoring students and postdoctoral fellows in the lab and in the classroom. Dr. Minden developed and teaches a course for the PharmD program at Rutgers entitled “Biochemical Foundations of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. ” This course is designed to strengthen students’ understanding of biochemistry and to help them understand how biochemical concepts are critical for drug discovery and for the practice of pharmacy.