Lauryn Werner, Ph.D.

Professional Background

I'm originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, but I broke the family line of Minnesota Gophers to attend the University of Wisconsin in Madison to complete my undergraduate degree. As an undergraduate, I worked as a research assistant in the laboratory of Paul Harari, a radiation oncologist and physician-scientist, where I began working on a translational research project through which we evaluated anti-tumor effects of combination therapy with AMG 232, a small molecule MDM2 inhibitor. We evaluated the combination of AMG 232 with radiation in a variety of human tumor cell lines expressing wild type p53. After graduating in December 2013 with dual majors in Biology and Business Management, I took a full-time position in the Harari Lab as an Associate Research Specialist. During my post-graduate years working in the Harari Lab, I was able to complete the project I began as an undergraduate, assist with numerous translational research projects going on in the lab, and spearhead another independent research project in which I evaluated the effect of low-dose radiation treatment on expression of markers of immune response on tumor cells, such as immune checkpoint proteins, MHC Class I molecules, and many others.

I joined the M.D./Ph.D. Program at KU Medical Center in the summer of 2017. During the summers of 2017 and 2018, I completed rotations in four cancer research laboratories. After completing my first two years of medical school and taking the dreaded USMLE STEP 1, I joined the lab of Dr. Christy Hagan in June 2019. In Dr. Hagan's lab, my thesis project focused on developing a better understanding of the immunosuppressive actions of progesterone receptor (PR) signaling throughout tumor development of ER/PR+ breast tumors, in both the tumor microenvironment and in breast tumor cells. My work demonstrated that progesterone (via PR) contributes to the development of an immunosuppressive microenvironment in hormone receptor positive (HR+) mammary gland tumors, which can be targeted with anti-progestins to enhance immune cell infiltration of tumors. This finding could play a pivotal role in helping to convert immune cold HR+ breast cancers to immune hot environments in order to enhance the response to immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.

After completing my Ph.D., I returned to medical school and have completed all required third year clerkships. I am now embarking on my final year in the program as a M4 student and look forward to applying to residency this cycle.

Thesis: Progesterone Promotes Immunomodulation and Impacts Tumor Growth in the Murine Mammary Gland.

Mentor:  Christy Hagan, Ph.D., Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department