Stephen Schmechel, M.D., Ph.D.

Cancer Center Research Program:  Genetic Mechanisms of Cancer

Assistant Professor,
Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology
Office: (612) 273-5980
Lab: (612) 625-8753
e-mail: schme004@umn.edu (preferred method of contact)

Research Interests:

Dr. Schmechel is a new investigator at the university.  Work in the Schmechel laboratory is directed toward a better understanding of genetic determinants of poor outcome in prostate cancer.  Although prostate cancer is deadly in some men, the disease follows an indolent course in most patients diagnosed with the disease.  Factors that determine whether prostate cancer will be clinically aggressive or indolent following initial treatment are incompletely understood.  The long term goal of the laboratory is to develop novel molecular diagnostic and prognostic tests that will facilitate “patient tailored” selection of therapy:  men with tumors that are likely to be aggressive may be treated up-front with more intensive therapies, such as adjuvant chemotherapy, radiation, and/or biological therapies, whereas men with tumors likely to be indolent may wish to undergo more minimal therapy.  Towards that goal, the laboratory is currently engaged in identifying and validating genes whose expression patterns correlate with clinical outcome.  Further, the laboratory is working with co-investigators in Radiology, Urologic Surgery, and Pathology to test whether MRI methods, already used to measure tumor size and spread, may also be useful for measuring the biological aggressiveness of the cancer cells that comprise tumors.  If successful, this preoperative MRI method may importantly inform clinical decision making for men with prostate cancer.

Selected Publications:

• Schmechel, S., R. LeVasseur, K. Yang, and D. Sabath.  Identification of genes whose expression patterns differ in benign lymphoid tissue and follicular, mantle cell, and small lymphocytic lymphoma.  2004.  Leukemia 18:841-855.
• McShea, A., A. Kumar, and S. Schmechel.  Custom DNA Microarrays: Powerful Tools in the Development and Implementation of High Throughput Molecular Diagnostics.  2004.  In Vitro Diagnostic Technology March 59.
• Smith, J.A., S.C. Schmechel, A. Raghavan, M. Abelson, C. Reilly, M.G. Katze, R.J. Kaufman, P.R. Bohjanen, and L.A. Schiff.  Reovirus infection induces and benefits from the cellular integrated stress reponse.  2006.  Journal of Virology 80:2019-33.
• Czartoski, T., C. Liu, D.M. Koelle, S. Schmechel, A. Kalus, and A. Wald.  Fulminant, acyclovir-resistant, HSV hepatitis in an immunocompetent woman.  2006.  Journal of Clinical Microbiology 44:1584-1586.